How to Conquer Gensokyo with Hypnosis
by StevenTheLost
Summary: As a normal human with no powers, I was presented with the task of conquering Gensokyo for the amusement of others, who expected that I would die trying. But anyone that can read the title knows I have a trick or two up my sleeve.
1. Yuri

_**Warning, PLEASE**_ **READ** **;** Do not attempt to conquer any fantastical world using the methods involved in this story. If you do, you may experience side effects such as; loss of morality, sex slaves, sex slaves who are unaware they are sex slaves, mindless sex slaves, erotic situations that a man only dreams of, more sex slaves and exhaustion.

Seriously though, Hypnotize responsibly and take good care of your subject. If not, I will hunt you down. I will find you. and I will (Copyrighted).

* * *

It begins with a random self-insert pervert with little to no redeeming qualities because he can't possibly make a mistake due to being the main character finds themselves in Gensokyo; land of dreams and target for many people's gappy stu fantasies. With a cocky grin, the main character realizes where they are, and calmly analyzes what to do.

"AHHHHH, WHERE THE FUCK AM IIIII!?"

...That being said, I actually have no fucking clue where I am right now.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS FANTASY BULLSHIT!? AM I IN GENSOKYO!?"

Maybe my mind is being calm to make up for the… emotional response I'm having to this situation, but it seems I can think clearly despite how random current events are.

To be honest, Gensokyo was the first thing that came to mind when I found myself here, but I actually have no idea if this really is the place or not. Normally, one would think that it were an entirely different world than one a single man under the alias of ZUN supposedly came up with, but given the amount of fantasies I had with the Touhou Project, it wasn't all that hard to see why it came to mind first.

The fact that I was in another world already felt unreal, so throwing in the assumption that it was Gensokyo seemed plausible since we already threw logic out the fucking window a moment ago. Speaking of which, I was only at my computer, typing up the conclusion of Marisa's route in Koishi's Ero-ero adventures when I materialized on top of a staircase leading to somewhere..

Oh, and to get character introductions out of the way; Steven. 22. Virgin. Has mild-Autism (According to the doctors) Has been with a girl… once. Broke up in a week. Is a Canadian otaku with a hypnosis fetish and lives with his parents who are moving away in at least 4 months, forcing me to finally move out. I like Spice and Wolf and sweets and… wait, too much unnecessary info.

I'm really still in shock to be honest, so I'm just thinking what comes to mind at this point. Um… I also like ASMR? Fuck, I don't know. Oh, and I like swearing alot; just sort of became a habit as I grew up.

Anyways, now that I completely overreacted to being thrown in a land from the comfort of my home without any logic or reason- oh who am I kidding, yelling wasn't an overreaction to that. If anything, I think I acted normal for once (good for me).

Luckily, it seems noone was around to hear my freakout. Now that I'm calm, to a degree, I need to go through the usual motions one does when finding themselves thrust into another world they know nothing about… that I just made up now.

Step 1. Make sure it isn't a dream.

"...Ow."

My cheeks hurt from being pinched. Step 1 clear.

...Although, I guess someone could have me in trance right now, as things can feel realistic that way depending on the subject, but that would take a damn good hypnotist to pull off, as I haven't been able to feel things through hypnosis before.

Anyways, step 2. Make sure you aren't in danger.

Everything looks safe, but for all I know this world could be inhabited by cannibals or something, I dunno. Common sense was just thrown out the window, so I should at least be as cautious as possible, since I think this situation warrants it.

First, I do a 180 spin and see what else there is. There's a dirt path at the foot of the stairs and it looks like it has been used frequently; it has footprints and wheel tracks in it. A good sign so far. The stairs up to… wherever aren't made of dirt, of course, but stone. Everything else is grass and trees so I guess all that's left is to approach whatever's up the stairs slowly.

I walked up the main stairs, but I kept close to the grass; if I needed to run like hell, then I wouldn't want to overstep and fall down the stairs. Grass was a much better option, even if it was a little steep.

As I reached the end of the stairs I found myself greeted by a familiar face that made me both relieved and confused; Kyouko. This confirmed that I was in Gensokyo, but it came with a catch. First off HOLY SHIT IM IN GENSOKYO HOW DO YOU EVEN!? Secondly, if Gensokyo was real then who the fuck was ZUN? Thirdly FUCK YEAH I GET TO MEET RAN AND KOISHI AND YUUKA- okay, maybe that's a bad idea. And finally, how on earth did I end up here? Last time I checked, Gensokyo was based off of an older time in Japan, which I won't try to name at the risk of getting it wrong.

People in Japan were one thing, but a Canadian getting teleported into Gensokyo? Come to think of it, do I magically have the ability to understand Japanese?

"Ah, hello - - - -。 - - - - - -?"

"Nope, I only know you said hello in some way."

"- - -? - - - - - -?"

Kyouko looked even more confused and her cute, fluffy ears perked up for a moment at my words. Seems she understood that I didn't speak Japanese, but as for whether she knew I was an outsider… I couldn't possibly tell with my limited knowledge of her language. All I had was her body language.

Luckily, with her tilted head and curious expression, it seems she had some idea that I wasn't a normal resident of Gensokyo. She said something in her cute voice and motioned for me to follow, to which I did, watching her tail's movements as I did.

I wonder if I would get smited for having impure thoughts at a time like this, considering I was probably at Byakuren's temple. ...Nah, I don't think temples work like that… probably.

* * *

After a bunch of character cameos from the cast of Touhou 12 and much talking, which I could only make sense of a few words, I was escorted rather politely to the human village and left in a household that was already inhabited by a family. It seemed like they were allowing me to stay with them for a while, probably because I had no place to stay. I really wasn't sure how things worked here, but I likened it to a student exchange program… where I was the only student who signed up.

The family consisted of a couple in their… 40's, I guess, and a young boy with his elder sister. The elder sister was actually pretty cute and seemed around 20, which was bothersome with how curious she was in me. Normally that's nothing to complain about, but I had no doubt in my mind that she was more interested in the outside world than in who I was.

Wait a minute, is it normal for children that age to still be with their parents in this type of setting? Hm, well she could be visiting for all I know. Then again, it's not like I have proof that she is related to them per se.

I also got a chance to see what I still had on my person since I was offered some new clothes to change into; it was only my clothes and glasses. ...Well I guess a phone or DS wouldn't do much in this situation.

For the next few days, I merely ate, slept and walked around with my 'family' before someone showed up in robes like a mage. I was gestured to sit in the main living room in front of said mage and an eerie glow appeared from beneath me as they spoke what appeared to be an incantation.

"Hey, what's going on!?" I asked, startled and confused.

"St-y st-l."

I could barely make out what the father was saying, but I got the idea that they wanted me to stay where I was. Well, I guess if they planned on doing anything to me, it would've been sooner than this, so I calmed myself and sat back down.

After a few minutes, the mage finished and the glow disappeared, leaving only the light of the outside leaking through the windows in the house.

"Can you understand us now?" The elder sister(?) asked.

"...Oh, so that's what the spell was. But does it work both ways?" I asked in english, but then I realized that I completely understood what she said. And by that, I meant that I now knew the Japanese language. "Oh! I can speak your language now!" I spoke in Japanese, but didn't refer to it as such, since I wasn't sure if it was called something different in Gensokyo.

If only I had the Touhou Wiki site at my disposal, then I'd be sure…

"Ah, that's amazing!" She beamed, a smile that made my heart throb. Damn, she really was cute, with her long brown hair and close proximity. The fact that Japanese women sound amazing too doesn't hurt either.

...Is that sexist or racist? Am I weird for thinking that? Aw, to hell with that, I know I meant nothing degrading by it. I always overworry about the silliest things and it's really fucking annoying.

I stopped my inner thoughts and turned to the mage. "Ah… thank you for helping me out. ...Um, what's the custom for showing politeness?" I didn't want to bow and make a fool of myself, but it appears that bowing was the case, even if the mage himself felt a little awkward to receive that much attention.

The father laughed. "You're polite for an outsider!" The mother hushed him for his statement and he scratched his cheek meekly.

"There are others like me?" I asked, playing dumb as I already knew it was in the lore for people to randomly appear from the outside.

"Only once in awhile; Most of them get eaten or go back home so we don't understand very much of the outside world." The daughter was the one to speak this time, sparkles in her eyes at the prospect of finally being able to communicate.

The mother told her to back off a bit and she sulked, to which I laughed and said that it was fine.

"I guess you want to hear more about the outside world then?" I asked.

"Absolutely!" She answered so earnestly and without hesitation that I almost laughed again from how absurdly cliched it was.

* * *

After the mage left, I was told that I could go back home if I took a trip to the Hakurei Shrine, with protection, of course. I told them I wanted to stay for a while before I made my decision, which they took with a little surprise. They wondered why I wouldn't want to see my friends and family as soon as possible, to which I explained that I wanted to see more of Gensokyo while I was here, as it was highly unlikely I could come back once I returned. It was a selfish, but understandable reason, so they didn't question me after that.

The daughter was all over me, more so than ever now that we could talk. She asked me question after question after question with no end and she was always excited to learn more. Her name was Yuri, which gave me a slight chuckle considering I wrote "Yuri" on numerous occasions. To be honest though… I was thinking about perverted stuff the whole time; like touch her here and there and fuck her and… stuff. It's hard to think straight when your thoughts turn to that. That being said, a decent human being such as myself never crossed that line as it would have been very bad if she had no interest at all.

Consent is the number one goal, mhm.

…...But fuck if I wasn't tempted.

It's not like I was always like this, just that being thrust into a fantastical situation made it seem like I thought less about the consequences, which was a dangerous thing to do. But even though her smile and fascinated look came from her interest in the outside world, she looked pretty like that and I had begun masturbating with her in mind (when no one would catch me, of course).

If you were disgusted by that remark then congratulations; You've never masturbated before.

Jokes aside, I was getting more and more restless as of late as the time we spent together dragged on and on. I knew she had no interest in me, since I think we would've already done it by now were it the case, but her overwhelming attention was making me lose it a little. She hung on every word I said and paid diligent attention, focusing… on…..

Wait.

If she was so taken with what I described to her from the outside world, then wouldn't it be really easy to hypnotize her?

I may have briefly mentioned this before, but I have a hypnosis fetish. Nothing gets me going more than seeing a girl hang on everything you say and slowly blank out as they lose all will and- yeah. Could that have been the reason I was getting more and more excited by being around her? She truly listened to me with all of her being, so it isn't that hard to imagine her following my words into a deep trance.

I gulped hard. This thought occurred to me in my bed/futon in a spare room. If I did do this, then I would be crossing over some of the moral boundaries I set for myself in the world I came from.

Could I really do that? It's possible to hypnotize someone, like, for real, but if I did it without her consent, then not only would I be doing something wrong, but it might not even work… no wait; if hypnosis isn't common knowledge here… then it might be possible to implant ideas about how it works in their minds, making me able to override what they want…

NO! That was a really, REALLY dangerous thing I just thought of! Bad Steven, bad! ...But what if it were possible? ...Then I could introduce it as a form of meditation, or relaxation from the outside world and put her in trance… I mean… I shouldn't but….

...It just wasn't leaving my head. Here, in a different world where hypnosis might not be common knowledge, I can surpass all of the real world bullshit; no more rejections because of my fetish, no more online text facades, and no minds are corrupt by said bullshit. Here, if hypnosis wasn't commonly known, then I could get away with whatever I wanted; hypnotizing any unknowing girl because they can't possibly see the harm in listening to a few words or focusing on something for a little while.

*Thump*!

...Fuck. I hit my head against the floor to contain myself and now a throbbing headache has emerged. Why am I considering this to begin with? It's not like I confirmed if hypnosis was common knowledge yet; for all I know, people here already have an idea of what it entails and will steadfastly deny me.

I sighed and tried pulling the blanket overtop me before I heard a slight knock at the door.

"Yes?"

"Steven, are you okay? I heard a noise just now…" It was Yuri. Of all the fucking timing in the world-!.

"I just hit my head on the floor." I answered calmly, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Ouch. Can I come in?"

"Sure. ...Wait, what?"

Before I realized what I agreed to, there she was, in a nightgown, sliding the door behind her and walking into the room. My mouth became agape as she kneeled beside me very closely and looked seriously at me.

"Can I see your head?"

"Uh… sure."

I leaned forward for her to examine it and I felt her fingers run over the back of my head.

"Does that hurt?" She asked.

"Hm… No, not really."

I guess she was going to offer some ice for me if it still hurt. I lifted my head out of her grasp and saw something in her expression I couldn't recognize.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Ah, no, nothing. I'm sorry for bothering you." She got up rather quickly, startling me. But what startled me and, more importantly, her the most was my hand that shot up and grabbed onto her wrist.

"Ah, I wanted to thank you for you hospitality. Can you stay for a while?"

WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING!? DIDN'T I JUST SAY THAT HYPNOTIZING HER WAS A BAD IDEA!?

Her face flushed red and I realized that my words could've been taken another way.

"Oh, I wouldn't think so highly of myself. I'm merely just going to show you a way we outsiders relax." The words rolled off my tongue so smoothly and my face somehow retained all of it's composure. I had no fucking idea how and why it would, as my heart was about to burst and my mind was racing, but still, that's how I acted.

Yuri seemed to lose her panic, but her cheeks still remained red in embarrassment. "I- I'm so sorry for misunderstanding-"

"No, no, I just worded it poorly. You had every right to assume that way, so I'm to blame. I would very much like you to allow me to show you this method, however." Look at me, speaking so formally and politely when my end goal was to make Yuri go into trance without her knowledge. I feel like such scum right now…. but…. that exciting feeling of completely controlling someone…. it's driving me to do it.

It's a powerful lust, one that I can't deny with all of my rational. I'm sick of playing by everyone elses rules, so it's time for me to make my own.

Yuri seemed to have calmed down completely now, and agreed to letting me show the method, although she closed the door first for some reason. "I don't want to wake anyone up with our talking."

"Aren't your parents our right now? Visiting friends?"

"Well, there's still Yuuhei on the first floor…" Yuri explained, pointing out her little brother was still there.

The spare room I was using was on the second floor of the wooden structure. "Ah, that makes sense." I nodded in understanding. "Can you sit here?" I pointed to the place she just recently stood up from and she sat obediently. Her face then became excited, although not in the lewd way, as I'm sure she just realized-

"Wait, this is a method from the outside world, right?"

-Yup, that answers it. That being said, that enthusiasm is going to make this rather easy. But first…

"Are you aware of what hypnosis is?" I asked the golden question.

The blank look was enough for me, and the following 'no' simply made me more excited.

"Sorry, I just was curious, since I'm still not sure if I know all your world has to offer." Yuri nodded in understanding as I continued. "Now this method of relaxation requires you to follow along with what I ask you to, in order for it to work, of course. Also… do you have something you tend to stare at absentmindedly for a time with no reason in mind?"

Yuri thought about the question, then shook her head. So that meant I was stuck with either stalling the session to look for a pendant or something, or I had to make do with my voice and body. I didn't want to wait any longer, as I had no idea for how long her parents would be out for, so I choose to make do with what I had.

"Alright then… actually, is there a place other than sitting there where you'd be more comfortable?" I asked and the moment I did her eyes wavered to my lap and her face turned a bit red. This girl… was she actually mistaking her obsession with the other world as love for me? Of course, I could be dead wrong and she actually did like me for whatever irrational reason, but that didn't really matter right now. If anything, it was easier that way. "Hm, does it hold some other meaning for someone to use a person's lap as a pillow in this world?" Yuri's eyes widened at my statement.

"H-how'd you-"

"You don't need to hold back. In my world it holds no special meaning, so if it's the place that relaxes you the most, you can use my lap with no attachments whatsoever." I'm fucking lying. There's no way in hell that's the case, but right now I felt like I could say anything and she'd accept it. I also noticed her love for me, but I pretended not to, putting even more pressure on her to act normally. She was trying to hide her feelings, albeit badly, so she would probably go along with using my lap to 'hide' it.

I found my conclusion was correct, and she turned her face away from me as she approached timidly. "I-in that case, if you don't mind…" Yuri lay her head on my lap and I gave her a warm smile to hide my devilish intentions.

"Comfy?"

"Yeah…"

"That's good. Now you just need to follow my instructions and soon you'll be relaxing like you've never relaxed before!" I said this with enthusiasm and Yuri looked up at me with her hazelnut eyes, curious.

"You're rather energetic." She noted.

Normally, I didn't speak any more than I had to, so she noticed the discrepancy rather quickly. "Relaxing is one of the only things I get excited about, ironically enough." Another bald-faced lie to cover my intent, spoken without hesitation. It was scary just how determined I was right now. "First off, let's just start with deep breaths. Breathe in…" She breathed in. "Breathe out…" She breathed out.

The fact that she immediately obeyed without questioning me further made me realize that the only thing that could stop me now was myself. That being said, I had no intention of relenting or making a mistake.

"Breathe in… breathe out... breathe in... breathe out… That's right, take a deep breath in… and breathe out all your stress and worries… breathe in relaxation… breathe out everything else… let yourself slow down for a moment and just relax, right here and now at this time. There's no need for you to do anything, but relax and slow down to the point where everything just feels great… And you're more relaxed now than you ever have been in your entire life, aren't you?"

Yuri's body only moved slightly with the breaths she made and her head shifted in my lap, no doubt finding a more comfortable position on it. "Mmm… Yeah…"

"Wonderful. And as you slow down, relax more and more, breathe those deep breaths, you can just let whatever else burdening you fade away for now. Nothing else matters in this moment more than relaxing, so you can just let go of everything; stress, worries, _thought_ … all of those things will be waiting for you afterwards, but for now you can just forget all about them. Let anything that can prevent you from relaxing further simply float away."

I've been looking down at Yuri this entire time and noticed that her fidgeting from earlier when she started laying on my lap was completely gone, all I could hear was her breathing, rhythmic and steady. Now she was ready to go down.

"And as you continue to relax, you begin to notice your eyelids becoming heavier and heavier, harder to keep open than when you started. You're getting sleepy, but that's perfectly alright, since it's so relaxing. There's no need to think about it, because sleep is a form of escaping from the day's worries, stresses and thoughts. That being said, you are about to go into a different form of sleep, one where my words can easily be heard by you, guiding you into deeper relaxation. That's right, this wonderful feeling can get better, and you want that."

I'm telling her what she wants, even if it isn't true, and I hear no retort that says otherwise. Now I know I have her.

"Your eyelids are just heavy, too heavy to keep open, so you can now _**sleep**_. Let your body go completely loose and limp as you sink further and further into the pleasant state of relaxation." I start brushing her head, caressing it gently, as her entire body went limp. She didn't complain or react to it, all but confirming that she was in trance… or she just didn't oppose it, but either way. "Now, as you sink even further down into this relaxation, I want you to focus on the stroking feeling along your head. It feels so nice, so relaxing and with every second I stroke your head with my hand, your mind empties of more and more thought, and it becomes next to impossible to think. That's fine, since you don't need to think anything right now; you're relaxing right now, so why should you have to worry about all of those stressful thoughts? You don't; you can just leave all of the thinking to me."

No reaction still. It was both exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Since it's my first time trancing a person in real life, I guess I'm more worried about trying to get her to do something out of character or unreasonable and having her wake up out of trance. That being said, she believed my every word during this short period of time we've known each other, so I wondered if I was overthinking it.

Only one way to find out.

"Now that you're not burdened with those stressful thoughts, listen to my voice and let it become your thoughts. Anything and everything I say is the absolute truth and that truth will sink deep into your mind. When you wake up, you will still be affected by me stroking your head; it's far too nice and pleasent to bother thinking when I stroke your head. Also, you will do whatever I ask you to do if I add 'please' to the end of it. Why wouldn't you, as I was being polite while asking so. Furthermore, you won't find anything strange with what you do for me, nor will you remember what happened when I brought you down to this amazing state of relaxation. You will merely remember it as a nice, relaxing experience that you would like to try again sometime. ...Now then, on the count of 5, you will wake up feeling happy and refreshed."

It took all of my willpower to count slowly, as counting fast may have complicated the hypnosis. By the time I counted to 5 and removed my hand from her head, my heart was beating faster than it ever has been in it's life. Yuri blinked for a few moments, then yawned and sat up, looking around the room before resting her eyes on me.

At first, I wondered if she remembered what I did, but then, as the silence started to make me uncomfortable; "That was incredible!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling once again.

First hurdle, clear.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Oh, by the way, could you take off your nightgown please?"

I stated it so casually in front of her that I disbelieved what I myself said. If this didn't work, then she had every right to slap me, or, at the very least, get flustered and call me a pervert. I waited, looking at her blinking expression as she nodded.

"Sure, I guess I can do that for you, since you were polite about it." It was a wonder that I kept my mouth from going agape as she took off her nightgown over her head, revealing her nakedness for me to see. I didn't know where to start, but I ended up questioning why she didn't wear any underwear rather than admiring the beauty in front of me.

Maybe I was just trying to keep cool.

"Can you please give me a kiss?"

Or maybe I was just a fucking pervert regardless. That being said, her immediate flustered expression made me realize that I must have done something wrong.

"Wha-wha-what are y-you asking!? Pervert!" Yuri grabbed the nightgown and made for the door. It was at that moment that I realized I didn't put the 'please' at the end.

"Stay here please. Don't find anything odd about me asking for a kiss please." I spoke it calmly, despite my panic, and I soon found Yuri blankly staring at the sliding door.

"Huh? ...Why was I getting so worked up? It's just a kiss and you were asking politely…" Yuri turned around and walked over to me before casually giving me a peck on the lips.

Oh god… I can make her do anything, can't I?

*Ba-dump*

I can even make her… have sex with me…

*Ba-dump, ba-dump*

I looked at her slender body, her soft, small breasts, her unaware expression… It pushed me over the edge.

"Can you-"

I stopped as soon as I heard the front door open. Fuck! I forgot about the parents!

"-put on your clothes and go back to your room without mentioning to anyone that you were in my room please."

The blank expression Yuri gave me for a few seconds excited me, but when the light came back in her eyes, she immediately did as I asked. I flopped back into my futon with heavy breath. That was really fucking close. I would've asked her to 'have sex with me please' if the parents didn't return… I almost crossed a line I could have never come back from.

In all honesty, I had no one to blame but myself for taking it that far. Still… if Yuri likes me, then maybe I should try going out with her normally and then introduce my fetish to her when the time is right… yeah, that sounds like the right thing to do.

* * *

The next time I woke up, I found myself in the middle of a dark forest. Considering this was my second time having been teleported to somewhere randomly, I took it rather well.

"NOT THIS FUCKING SHIT AGAIN!"

Instead of yelling out twice, I only yelled out once; a clear improvement. A voice made itself known after I shouted once, however.

"Hey, not so loud. Do you want to attract nearby Youkai, mister?"

I turned to the source and found myself looking at a small fairy with purple wings and eyes, her hands on her hips, as though she were seriously bothered by my yelling.

"...Well I didn't expect to be teleported in the middle of a forest. Sorry for overreacting."

The fairy blinked for a bit, then laughed. What's her deal?

"You really do act differently when talking with people, huh?"

I feel as though she was mocking me. "Why wouldn't I? Most people do things they don't usually do when they think they are alone."

"Yeah, yeah, that's all great." She waved her hand around dismissively. Damn she was pissing me off. "Anyways, you're probably wondering why you've found yourself here in Gensokyo, right?"

"...That is one of the many questions I've asked since arriving here, yes."

"Well, the thing is, I kinnnnnda need you to take over Gensokyo. Like, in a world domination way."

...Da fuck?

"...Any explanation at all for that absurd plot point?"

"Right to the point, huh. Let's see, there's a bunch of people who play a game where they throw normal humans from the outside world, and see how they would handle conquering Gensokyo (while betting on them)."

"...Huh."

"Hey, aren't you taking this rather well?"

"I can't really argue any of your explanation, since I couldn't think of a reason for me to be here to begin with." Even if Gensokyo was real, I shouldn't have ended up where I did, as I wasn't Japanese… at least, that was my assumption.

"I suppose. Anyways, this game is run by a toooon of powerful people, who have completely recreated Gensokyo and all of it's citizens for you to try and conquer."

"Are their personalities accurate?"

"Mhm, right down to their secret fetishes and everything; it's really creepy. So, right now, you're in a game with 15 other pla- 14 other players to see who can conquer Gensokyo, each in your own separate world."

"Why'd the number drop?"

"That's because someone died just now."

...Oh for fucks sake.

"I thought this was a recreation!?"

"It is; we've recreated the entirety of Gensokyo so that it's _as real as possible_. Why wouldn't someone die if they tried to assassinate Yukari while she was sleeping?"

What sort of dead brained moron tried that!? ...Although I do see the value in taking out powerful characters early… no wait, that's not the point right now!

"So basically our lives are in real jeopardy while we try to completely conquest Gensokyo? Why on earth was I chosen for such a ridiculous game!?"

"Ah, I can't tell you about that. Just don't think about it too hard. So yeah, anyways, that's the gist of what's going on."

This was pretty fucked up, especially with how nonchalantly the fairy said all this to me. Although, it wasn't like I had any other choice than to believe her, as she did teleport me all the way out here. Actually, she might not have been the one, but she at least knew I would be here.

"Wait a minute; what if I don't want to play this game? Can I go home?"

The fairy blinked at me for a moment, then laughed. "You really are a strange one; aren't you obsessed with the world of Gensokyo?"

Ding! A lightbulb went off in my head.

"Ah, you chose people who like the Touhou Series for this game!"

"...Ah. Oh no, whatever shall I do now that you've found out." She spoke with as little enthusiasm as possible, her sarcasm dripping from the mouth.

"Fuck this! As much as I want to stay, I don't want to do something that would get me killed!" Conquering Gensokyo would mean overcoming all sorts of obstacles; the most important ones being the characters inside it. Yukari, Marisa, Yuuka, Yuyuko, Reimu… I'd have to subdue them and many more powerful residents in some form or fashion in order for me to succeed.

I'd die! I would die, 100 percent!

"Oh… I never thought I would have to actually threaten a player."

...What…?

The fairy became a lot more demeaning as she cackled."You see, since we have powers beyond the outside world's understanding, we can easily make a few humans kick the bucket, namely, your family and friends."

My gut sank and my blood ran cold. Now I wasn't the biggest fan of people, don't get me wrong, but I'm not the type who can easily accept letting someone die because I did nothing. Sure, I might be fine if they died from something unavoidable that had nothing to do with me…

...But this? Doing nothing and letting them die? That was a much harder thing to accept. Still, I should see if I can at least bluff my way out of it.

"...And if I don't care about any of them?"

"Hmm… I guess we'll just have to let you go… after we've killed them all and framed you for the murders, of course. No one will believe that magical powers killed them, when they have the sole survivor amongst them holding a weapon that may or may not be magically stuck to their hand."

Shit! She even took into consideration that type of person!? "You cunning motherfucker-!"

"Oh, did I make you mad? Did I?" The fairy danced around me, grinning like an idiot the entire way. It was true, I was gritting my teeth and clenching my fist, the only thing stopping me from squashing her was the inability to know what would happen if I did so.

I calmed myself, but I wasn't going to be respectful of her, that's for damn sure. "Fine then, you fucked up fairy, I just need to take over Gensokyo and then I can go, right?"

The fairy tilted her head, keeping that smug grin in place. "I never said that, but I suppose if you want to leave after accomplishing your goals, you'll be allowed to. Scout's honor, as you outsiders put it." She put a hand over her heart and tried to look sincere.

"Fine. So what do I get to help accomplish this?" I asked the question seriously. Surely they didn't expect powerless humans to try it without any sort of power or weapon?

But the fairy broke out into even more laughter, rolling around mid air. "Oh, that's a good one- why would we bother helping you out when all the fun is seeing what ways you come up with on your own?"

My previous cold blood boiled. "How the hell are we supposed to conquer Gensokyo as powerless humans!?"

* * *

 _ **You're not.**_

* * *

"Wha… what did you just say?"

The fair smiled at me her sickening smile and repeated herself. "You're not. This isn't a game where people bet on who succeeds, but rather, who _survives_ the longest and achieves the most. Some players have gotten as far as conquering the human village before getting snuffed out by Youkai and rebels alike, but no further. One by one, they fail and die."

"B-but does the person who last the longest get to leave? Is there anyway to leave at all!?"

The evil fairy cackled again. "None at alll~ But can we talk about that recent failure for a moment; I mean, truly that boy was an idiot for trying to kill Yukari with a knife, all the while crying about how he wished to see his mother again, right before he died."

My hands trembled. But not out of fear; it was a bigger feeling than that. It was the feeling of rage. "You told me you never had to threaten anyone, so how did he know his family was at stake?"

"Oh? Can't he think of his family right before he dies? At first I thought you were different from the others but…" The fairy's grin became inhuman and her eyes were pitch black. " **You're just another idiot, huh?** "

….

…

I answered. "Yeah."

"...Huh?"

"You might be right, because I'm going to do it."

"...Do what?"

Steven. Age 22. A Canadian otaku. Is self-centered and has a tendency to overthink things, along with the contradicting trait of not wanting people to look his way, considering his obsession with wanting people to care about him. Is a pervert with no job, but still had a plan to live on his own. Is lazy, but still does his best in all that interests him (even if it only has something to do with his hobby). He constantly gets in fights with his mother, arguing over and over again, so painfully. So much so that he hates her sometimes.

But, there is one thing he's received from her that he's proud to have.

"You better not back out of what you said earlier because I'm going to conquer Gensokyo, you crazy bitch."

That is, for better or worse, her stubbornness.


	2. Kyouko I

"I said all that but… what can I actually do?"

Having been teleported back after being informed of the situation, I was now at a loss on what to do next. Sure, in the heat of the moment I said I would take over Gensokyo to that trash fairy, but It's not like she didn't have any reason to laugh at me.

Truly, the situation I was put into was disastrous. For one, I had no powers in which to accomplish my mission, which meant that I needed to rely on things that didn't take my own strength into account; there was no way I was going to best Reimu… hell, not even Rumia or any lower Youkai for that matter, with the way I was.

This left me with a few options; One, get allies to band around me. Although, with Gensokyo entering a time where peace is becoming more common (As I've learned from asking Yuri) I highly doubted they would support me in world conquest. The next option I thought of, while unlikely, made it more plausible; obtain a power and assassinate all the stronger beings.

Since it was a recreation, I felt a little more comfortable treating their lives so lightly. That being said, I doubted that obtaining a power or two was going to be easy, but it seemed to be one of the only viable options; become an overpowered gappy stu like so many others and just wreck shit up.

...It was sad that this was the best I could come up with, let alone consider.

I sighed a heavy sigh and rolled over in my futon in the dark, nestling myself in the comfort of the darkness around me, and the lingering scent of Yuri…

"Wait…"

Yuri's scent was still on my futon; it was very faint, but it was there. I wondered just how I could smell it, considering she didn't have much contact with my futon, let alone the confusing fact that I could recognize her by scent to begin with.

Was I just that big of a pervert for her?

I was truly going to make her have sex with me in a non-consensual trance… It was wrong, but it would have happened without a doubt. I sighed again, this time with partial regret and self-loathing. It was awful, but even if she didn't want to, she would have…

…..

….

Even…. if she didn't want to.

I slowly rose, the idea taking form in my mind and staying there, much more strongly than when I considered hypnotizing an unknowing Yuri. Certainly, she may have wanted to do something with me eventually, but I doubted she would have had sex with me so earnestly; but she would have done it in trance.

That's right, it wasn't her will; it was mine.

The reason the first option became impossible for me was the fact that allies wouldn't support my conquest, but… if I imposed my will onto them via _hypnosis_ … Then it was possible to go with the first option.

This wasn't a question of morals anymore; I had to come up with a plan to conquer Gensokyo, and bringing people under my control unknowingly was about as good a plan as any. Besides, like that bitch said before, it was a recreation… Not to mention the fact that people's lives depended on whether or not I played along. Using that as an excuse, I just might be able to find the motivation to break a few minds for my own benefit.

The biggest plus to this plan was the fact that I could influence some very powerful Youkai if I managed to get them into a trance. Sure, I needed to be careful with how I did it, more so than I was with Yuri, as it could go horribly wrong… but it actually made conquering Gensokyo seem possible. I could only imagine what would happen if I got the likes of Marisa or Yukari under.

I wasn't sure if I was putting too much stock into the plan, but I knew that once I thought of it, it was the plan I was going with. The feeling was kind of like that one scene in the movie where the bad guy steps on a mine and is about to be eaten by a tiger; he knows that the only way he can go out is by being eaten by the tiger while in an exploding arena of death. (This is an actual thing in a movie, I kid you not.) And hey, even if I fail, I'll at least have the most creative plan out of the rest, right?

...Actually, joking about my possible death is freaking me out. I should never do that again.

The plan swirled around in my mind for what seemed like hours, but at some point I found myself nodding off into the recesses of my mind.

* * *

The first place I decided to implement my plan was the Byakuren Temple. There were a couple of reasons for this; One, it was where I started, so just call it a bit of sentimentality. Two, I could easily get into the fold via wanting to express my gratitude for their earlier help. Three, Meditation and trance seemed to go hand in hand, so the possibility of trancing someone here seemed much more plausible than other locations.

I could have started at the human village by using Yuri as my spokesperson for all the wonderful things I could do with this new 'relaxation method', but I was worried that others might find some of the strange behaviour that follows suspicious.

If one were to visit a temple and convert to that religion, however, it wouldn't be as suspicious to see them acting differently than before. Certainly, a miko in red and white might find it so, but I'll deal with that bridge when I cross it.

...Of course, this plan had one big hurdle; I needed to make the religious practices here become trancing sessions where brainwashing would take place. For that to happen, I needed to bring important members of the temple under my control; Byakuren at the least. Clearly, not an easy task in any manner of speaking, but nothing is impossible.

It can happen. I just needed to put as much effort as possible into making it happen.

Walking up the vaguely familiar steps, a familiar face popped up into my vision, her cute, fluffy ears perking up as I approached.

"Oh, you're that human-" Kyouko recognized me from the time she helped me.

"Hello, thank you for helping me out that one time." I said, having put the stairs behind me.

"Ah, you're welcome… but you didn't have to come all this way to thank me." Kyouko looked embarrassed as she meekly scratched her cheek, to which I couldn't help but smile at.

"While I admit that is one reason I came here, I have another." I stated, to which Kyouko suddenly looked guilty.

"Ah, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have assumed." Kyouko's voice sounded like she was trying to earnestly apologize for such a small mistake. Internally, I quickly judged her as someone who worried over every little thing, and I frowned. Those types of characters always got on my nerves because of how over exaggerated their reactions to making the smallest mistake was, over and over again.

It was annoying as all hell. ...Er, 'hells' since we're in Gensokyo.

Kyouko seemed to notice my displeasure and bowed her head again. "I'm really, really sorry!" She spoke enthusiastically.

"No, it's fine. Anyways, about that other reason; I'm curious about this shrine- I mean temple, and it's teachings. Is there anyone who can explain those things to me?"

Kyouko got over her repentant attitude and looked at me, blinking. "You didn't have to come here to do that though…"

...Damn, plot convenience appears to have failed me. Onto plan B; Common sense and rational thinking!

I mustered as honest a chuckle I could manage. "It appears I've been exposed."

"E-excuse me?"

"Alright, in truth I was embarrassed to admit that I had come all the way here just to see you." I stated that plainly.

Then, suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, a scowl appeared on Kyouko's face for a split second.

"...Huh?"

"Huh?" And then her face was normal again, looking at me with a smile and unassuming expression as she mimicked my words back at me.

Oooooookay…. Putting aside the character 180 I just witnessed, if that wasn't my imagination, then I probably fucked up somewhere with what I just said. As much as I wanted to ask her if I said anything wrong, I should probably think this one out on my own.

I admitted that I was lying and that I wanted to see her (also a lie). In our short interaction so far, was there anything I said before this that would make this sentence leave a bad taste in her mouth?

 _...you didn't have to come all this way to thank me._

"Ah!" My mouth already spoke out before I could stop it, and the smile on Kyouko's face seemed to grow to hide the mounting maliciousness.

I dismissed her earlier reaction as an archetype of an overly apologetic character, but what she was apologizing for was for thinking too highly of herself, as she was under the impression that I came all the way to thank her in person _because_ it was her. Indeed, I would've apologized if I had thought like that as well.

Come to think of it, didn't I consider this type of conversational factor when I was conversing with Yuri earlier? Damn… I really, really fucked up this time. With me taking back my earlier words when she was earnestly apologizing, Kyouko must've thought I was making fun of her.

"...I'm sorry, I really, really am sorry." There was nothing for it, so I bowed my head. Making a mistake this early on was disastrous, but leaving it uncorrected was an even worse mistake.

Kyouko seemed to regard me with more curiosity now than anger, her personality still beyond my grasp. Of course, if I was made to guess it, I would've assumed she was meek like my first impression, which was obviously wrong at this point.

"What are you really doing up here?" She asked bluntly.

"...Well, the part about wanting to see you wasn't a lie, it's just that… I want to meet a bunch of Youkai. I'm truly sorry for lying so hurtfully towards you, really!" I bowed my head even lower, so much so that I felt like mocking myself. Just who was it that was saying they hated over apologetic archetypes earlier? But I had no choice if I wanted to have some sort of positive impression on Kyouko, no matter how unlikely it was now.

After a period of silence, I was tempted to raise my head, but then I realized my gesture would mean nothing until Kyouko accepted or denied it. I held it for even longer, maybe two minutes, and waited patiently.

*A fuckton amount of time later*

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO FUCKING BOW MY HEAD FOR!?

Now I know what you're thinking; surely I should raise my head, right? NO! I can't do that! Like I said before, I'm trying to take over Gensokyo and that's no easy feat, so if I don't put as much effort as possible into it, then I run the risk of failing.

I wouldn't be so polite, respectful or try so hard otherwise. I needed to become close enough to offer my 'relaxation method' to as many different characters as possible, so I couldn't just give up.

...That being said, parts of my body are sore from being in this position for too long. I haven't heard her move from the spot she was in though… so does that mean it's actually only been for a couple minutes still? I don't think she would have stood still for so long.

"What are you doing?" An unfamiliar voice addressed me, a woman's voice that seemed… it seemed unearthly in a way.

…..Fuck. Now I haven't met her before, but I have a feeling I'm meeting someone important way too quickly. That being said, I might as well ask her… "For clarification, am I just standing out here by myself?"

"That would be correct."

I looked up slowly and saw that Kyouko was nowhere to be found. I thought she hadn't moved because I never heard a sound, but that's when I realized that flying probably didn't make much noise.

…..That cunning bitch.

I felt like laughing, not out of anger, but out of genuine amusement; I must have looked like quite the idiot standing there, waiting for someone who wasn't even there to say something.

Although, it was even stranger for me to not react to the woman who _was_ in front of me, as they truly were an important figure in Gensokyo whose presence seemed to demand a level of awe from me, even if they themselves weren't consciously aware of it. Perhaps the fact that I had more or less planned on meeting her eventually saved me from staring at her with my mouth wide open like a moron.

Byakuren Hijiri was, for some reason, standing before me, in all of her multi-colored hair glory.

A literal final boss has appeared.

"...Hello." I said casually.

"Hello." Byakuren replied, her voice still remaining unfazed.

I guess I couldn't leave her question unanswered and I wasn't sure if lying would work on her… It felt like I _couldn't_ lie to her, actually. That's just how much of an impression her presence was having on me. "I was apologizing to someone, but they appear to have flown off somewhere."

"Who was it?" She asked; her voice was only politely doing so, but it seemed to have a weight to them unlike any normal person's words.

...No, no, no, I shouldn't become awed by her; I needed to stand my ground.

"I'd rather keep that to myself, if it's alright." I stated firmly.

Not once did Byakuren's expression change, even when I denied her request. Although it wouldn't have done justice to simply call her face static; it had the warmth of someone who seemed to love everything, but the sternness of a wise teacher who knew better than you, but it wasn't arrogance, but rather, your own impression that made you describe her as such.

Fucking hell, how am I supposed to get her on my side, let alone in trance?

"It is your choice." Byakuren stated, no sign of disappointment on her face.

"You gave up rather quickly." I noted.

"I'm not in the habit of forcing others to speak for my own benefit." She said with a genuine smile. Her words felt like a slight attempt at being humorous, but they contained no sarcasm.

There was only one thing I knew when it came to Byakuren; she would tell me no lies. "Thanks for calling out to me, even if it was by chance. I probably would've stayed there for another hour if I had to."

"You're welcome." A silence followed, one I wasn't expecting. The fact that she didn't even feel compelled to ask why I would try so hard to apologize threw me off a bit, but I was pretty sure I didn't show it on my face.

"Ah… I suppose I should introduce myself; I'm Steven and I've just recently found myself here in Gensokyo. A Youkai around here was kind enough to help me, thus my reason for being here today. Very nice to meet you." I bowed my head politely. I, of course, knew her name, but it would've raised questions if I casually said it.

"An outsider?" For the first time since I interacted with her, Byakuren spoke without certainty, but it would've been wrong to call it uncertainty.

...Sheesh, it feels like I'm constantly contradicting myself when I think of how to describe her.

When I nodded, she introduced herself. "My name's Byakuren Hijiri, and I am the chief priest here for the Myouren Temple. Nice to meet you as well." The bow she gave me in return made me feel very small all of a sudden, that presence of hers coming into play again.

If I'm overwhelmed every time I meet someone important, then this is going to be a long journey to conquer Gensokyo indeed.

"Chief priest…? Doesn't that mean you're someone really important?"

At my question, Byakuren's smile seemed to grow. "I wouldn't call myself that. I merely wish to help others by teaching them the dharma."

"I see." I have no idea what the dharma is, but it rhymes with 'karma' so I can remember it that way. No wait… isn't this the perfect opportunity to understand her better? "Actually, I have no idea what the dharma is. Sorry if that offends you."

"No, not at all. It is not something commonly known by those who don't practice Buddhism… If you are willing to listen, however, I could explain it to you."

Well, that was easy.

"Ah, but I don't want to waste your time." Still, I might as well see if I can lie, even slightly, to her.

Byakuren gave me no facial indication that she had found my words untruthful. "Taking time to teach someone is never a waste." Her words weren't forceful, but she spoke it with a sagely tone, already captivating my attention.

It was as if it were already decided that she would teach me, despite no persisting taking place.

One thing did bother me though, so I decided to ask. "Were you going anywhere when you stopped to talk to me?"

"I was looking for the yōkai who maintains the temple entrance, but that can wait." Byakuren stated it without any pushiness, but I felt even more pressure telling me I couldn't simply leave now. If I did, then what did that say about me, when Byakuren was teaching me something she believed to be important?

And so, she led me further into the temple as she started talking.

* * *

Four hours later and I felt like my mind got an overload of information.

I was already back in the human village after having listened to Byakuren explain the dharma, which is apparently the cosmic law and order, as well as various other aspects of the religion, and I was all but fizzled out.

I'm sure I missed a few things, but I feel as though I have a basic grasp of the major ideals.

The reason it was so important for me to do this was that I needed to grasp Byakuren's personality better, in order to later trick her into getting hypnotized, and I knew her personality wouldn't defy the laws of her religion. On top of that, I was wondering if it would have been possible to pass off hypnosis as a meditation method (which, it sort of is) and possibly convince Byakuren to try it as to ascertain its effectiveness.

The practices of Buddhism contained… um… the six perfections, according to Byakuren. Er, rather, you followed these perfections and put them into practice, from what I understood. As for what they were… Wisdom was one, discipline was another… Diligence? ...Well, I think as long as I keep in mind that they follow a very strict moral code, I think I'll be alright. *

But I didn't get the sense that Kyouko was someone who followed these perfections very well. This wasn't an insult against her, but after doing something as mischievous as sneaking away while someone's apologizing, I'd imagine she has trouble following strict rules. Not to mention that band that she's supposedly apart of with Mystia (which is somehow canon). I don't think she'd be a part of a punk band if she was practicing Buddhism wholeheartedly.

Could I somehow use Kyouko? I'm sure we can be on good terms despite what happened earlier, as her actions were more of a prank than something one did out of actual anger, especially as a yōkai. If she were truly angry, I could have gotten seriously injured. Yōkai were stronger than humans, after all, and they could lash out at you if provoked.

But Kyouko didn't. Either this was because of her religion (which she partly followed), or she just thought I looked silly while I waited for her to speak up. ...At least, I hope I'm right, as her being angry with me would hinder me.

But I digress. Laying down on my futon, I go over what to do next, as in, how I can best accomplish hypnotizing the temple. I could try and collect more information, but I don't have the patience to try and learn it via practicing said religion, which was my best bet in getting closer to the temple's residents. I would more than likely get agitated, and perhaps agitate others, if I was being strict with myself, and I didn't want that.

Was there a feasible plan that I could go with based on what I had, as little as it may be? The goal is to hypnotize Byakuren, as that's the requirement to completely bring the temple under my control. Can I accomplish that?

…

Does Byakuren know that Kyouko is in a punk rock band? That thought popped into my head randomly, as I was… well, thinking. If Byakuren was aware of it, then she'd probably be opposed to it… and she would no doubt be aware of Mystia as well, if that were the case. Continuing the 'if's, she might think that Mystia is a bad influence on Kyouko at that rate.

So if Mystia suddenly turned over a new leaf and dedicated herself to Buddhism, then Byakuren would obviously wonder what could cause such a change in a person… er, should I say yōkai? ...Nah, too troublesome. Anyways, if Mystia turned over a new leaf thanks to a new 'meditation' method, then wouldn't she be extremely interested in what this method entailed?

As long as it helped someone achieve the six perfections, then I don't think she would outright deny a method that isn't currently being used. Not only that, but since she practices Buddhism too, Byakuren would _want_ to try a method that can potentially achieve better results in her practice.

...So basically, the idea is this; hypnotize Mystia into practicing Buddhism to attract Byakuren's attention. Then, if all goes well, she will want to try my method. There's only one- okay, fuck the cliches- there's more than one problem.

One; Why would I, someone who doesn't practice Buddhism, show Mystia a method that would make her start practicing it?

...If I just explained it as a 'relaxation' method like before, without any intent to use it as a 'meditation' method, then it would be more reasonable to explain; I wanted to make her relax, but opened up her mind to a new world.

Actually, that's perfect; since Mystia doesn't already practice Buddhism, Byakuren might think that her newfound desire to practice it might have been misguided, as in, she could have mistaken my method as something that has to do with Buddhism when it has no such ties. She would most certainly want to test it out then, if only to ascertain whether it was a viable method or not.

This led to problem two, however; I needed to hypnotize Mystia. This one could be solved by hypnotizing Kyouko and coming up with a plan then, as Kyouko knows Mystia better than me, and I can get valuable information that way.

...I say she knows her better, but I'd like to think I know Mystia well from my immersion in the Touhou Project in my world. That being said, I couldn't possibly take that information at face value when I've never met her, thus hypnotizing Kyouko would be extremely helpful.

...Problem three is hypnotizing Kyouko then. I'll need to get close to her to the point where I can hypnotize her, or come up with a reasonable situation where I can hypnotize her. No problem, I mean, I already managed to do that to Yuri, so… Ok, maybe it wouldn't be as easy as it was with Yuri.

A knock came at my door at that time, followed by Yuri asking if she could come in. I didn't see the harm, so I said she could. It was funny that she appeared the moment I thought about her, but coincidences happen. She closed the door behind her and kneeled down by my futon, where I had just finished sitting up on. Her cheeks were flush and her hands were fidgeting, giving me a strange feeling that I had forgotten something important.

"Um… You remember what you did to me yesterday?" At Yuri's words, I held my breath. The suggestion I gave her that she wouldn't find anything wrong couldn't have possibly worn off so soon… could it?

"It was a long day yesterday… remind me?" I asked it casually, hoping I was mistaken.

"The relaxation method from the outside world. I… I don't remember much from it, but when I think about it I get a fuzzy feeling inside and… it makes me want to try it again." At these words, I internally relaxed. She wasn't here to ask why she had felt compelled to take off her clothes for me, she just wanted to experienced trance again.

When I stopped last night, I was going to avoid doing such things until we actually became a couple, but with the information that this was a replicated world on top of the fact that she wanted to be brought down herself, I was having a very hard time coming up with any reasons not to bring her down and do as many deprived acts I wanted.

...But the point of everything being as realistic as possible still made me feel strange. I wasn't completely able to remove myself from the consequence of my actions with all of these people and characters so full of life.

Actually, correction; I just wasn't able to shake off my feelings of guilt. I should never think that my actions won't have consequences, because then I'll probably end up dead like the other participants, as punishment for not thinking things through.

So as it stands, what are the consequences for hypnotizing Yuri one more time and fucking her brains out? ...Well, it will corrupt my morals, for one, which would make doing more despicable things easier, but I might get greedy and make mistakes later. Yuri will no doubt change as well, unless I give her a suggestion that has her go back to normal no matter what happens under my control.

So… other than morals is there any foreseeable consequence? I might just not be thinking hard enough, but I don't see one… ah, actually, if I did it with Yuri, then it would be completely for my selfish lust and it wouldn't get me any closer to conquering Gensokyo.

Is there any benefit to the plan in taking over Gensokyo from hypnotizing Yuri right here and right now? Or rather, can I _make_ it beneficial?

...Look at me, talking about furthering my goals via controlling someone after speaking of morals. Well, I guess I'm just making a big deal out of nothing, but I can't afford to be reckless when every choice I make can affect how things change, and how I proceed as a result.

This isn't arrogance; it's a fact that doing nothing will yield nothing, so doing something will make something happen. Cause and effect. I can't dismiss nor deny the possibility that doing something seemingly small will have an effect later on that bites me in the ass.

But I've been thinking for way too long and Yuri's starting to shift uncomfortably in front of me.

"...Sure. I'm not doing anything right now." I answered honestly. After I got her in trance, I could just improve her state and decided where to go from there. I patted my knees for her to place her head upon and she nodded blushingly, obediently putting her head down there.

I stroked her head and started, speaking softly and telling her to relax. The memory of yesterday was still fresh in my mind, and I mostly repeated what I spoke then, except with the added emphasis on how trance felt good and how her will and thoughts, even the smallest fractions, just faded away.

I continued on and on, repeating and reinforcing her trance state, until I reached a point where I finally needed to make a choice as to what to do with her. That's when something popped into my head; something interesting.

It was in my nature as a hypnotist to want to experiment with different things and ideas, and when I thought of this, I knew I just had to try it out, if only because it made things more interesting. I didn't think through the consequence, I just did it, as it was a mixture of a creative thought, and a gut feeling.

Instinctual, in other words.

I whispered gently into her ears as I stroked her head, and I could see her lips quiver in slight pleasure as I implanted more suggestions.

* * *

I waited patiently for Yuri to return, having sent her out to the temple while light was still out, but it was already dark now and I was starting to worry. It was relatively safe if you kept to the roads when light was out, as the villagers told me, but if Yuri had gotten hurt or worse because of my stupid impulsive commands, then I would have been a failure as a hypnotist.

What I had come up with on the spot would pay off big time, but I needed to stay at the household for it to work when Yuri left. It was also relatively low risk, but... Now that it was late, I knew me leaving wouldn't affect the results if everything actually went right, so I guess I can afford to go out if I'm worried.

The parent's were re-invited over to the same friends place, luckily, and they had gone over there for a good while this time, so they weren't here when Yuri had left, but I had no choice but to involve them since I was worried for Yuri's safety now.

Wasting no more time now that my mind was made up, I left the house and hurried over to the location of where they had gone, but then-

"Wait right there!"

-a voice materialized in front of me and I almost fell backwards from the surprise. No one was in my field of view, and I recognized the voice as Kyouko's so I knew she had just thrown her voice there, which also meant that she could see me. I turned around and saw her walking down with Yuri, seemingly disappointed with her hands on her hips, and Yuri gave a small laugh from what I could see.

I ran over towards them, slowing down when I had reached them. "Yuri, where were you?" I asked, the running helping me to add some 'huff' to my voice, which was the effect I was going for.

Yuri scratched her cheek sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but I had something to take care of."

I looked between her and Kyouko, who looked back with irritated eyes. "I don't understand you." Kyouko said. "Couldn't you tell that what I had done earlier was a simple prank?"

I mustered a look of surprise. "Huh?"

Kyouko sighed in disbelief, but her expression was warm. "...Yuri came to see me. She told me everything."

'Everything' being that I had told Yuri to act as though I had thought I had made Kyouko hate me from her leaving me. This plan wouldn't have worked if Kyouko knew that I had run into Byakuren, as it required the impression that I had gone home and come to this conclusion, which would be impossible if I had run into Byakuren for one simple reason; if it truly burdened me and I was with her, I would have consulted in her and Byakuren would have surely dispelled my worries there.

Thank god that she was nowhere near us at the time. Before I left Byakuren, I said something along the lines of, 'I hope you find the yōkai you were looking for', so that I could get a sense of where she was for later purposes. Unfortunately, Byakuren had guessed that Kyouko was sleeping somewhere, as she usually stayed up all night. Naturally, it didn't seem as though she condoned that behaviour, but the main point was, if Kyouko was off sleeping somewhere then she probably didn't stay to watch over me.

My guess is that she chose then to sleep since it would've killed two birds; playing a simple prank on me, and finally heading off to get some rest.

"You shouldn't let things get you down so easily! Because of that, you worried Yuri enough for her to come and ask me to forgive you." Kyouko puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms again, her tail swishing angrily.

"Ah…" I turned to Yuri. "I'm sorry for worrying you Yuri. ...Um… Should I leave it at that if I'm not supposed to let things get me down that easily?"

Kyouko's puffed up cheeks deflated and she looked at Yuri, who nodded back at her. "I forgive you." Yuri stated, a smile appearing on her face as she addressed me.

"Hm. Now with that being said, I've never seen a human worried so much over whether he was hated by yōkai before." Kyouko stated, letting go of her irritation and replacing it with curiosity. "I've heard outsiders were different, but…" Kyouko looked at Yuri. "...you're just as strange too, you know."

"Hehe." Yuri gave a giggle.

"I don't think that was a compliment… but if you went to ask forgiveness for me, then why are you coming back home so late?" I asked, despite knowing the answer.

Yuri gave a childish grin. "Don't be surprised, but we became friends!"

Kyouko suddenly looked a little meek. "W-well… I guess that's what happened."

Fucking A+, Yuri! If you can convince me to talk for hours about the outside world on end, then I knew you could convince a yōkai to be your friend!

Although it wasn't as bad as it was in olden times, I knew it was still uncommon for yōkai and humans to get along well, even if yōkai came to shop in the human village at night. It must be pretty hard to get along after countless years of fighting, after all. So the fact that Yuri met with for the first time, talked for hours, and made friends with Kyouko was a testament to just how charming she was.

Whether it was on purpose or not, Yuri did things that made others gravitate towards her.

"We were having so much fun that it was dark before I knew it and Kyouko offered to escort me back to the village. Please don't be mad!" Yuri clapped her hands before her head and bowed slightly, to which I sighed happily at.

"I'm not mad; I was the one to blame, after all. That being said, if you made a friend because of it, then I'm glad I made that mistake… I'll just make sure not to do it again." I chuckled a bit at my own joke, wondering if I was starting to sound like a cliched anime protagonist.

Kyouko watched our exchange and nodded. "I need to get going now, but we'll talk later." She directed that last part towards Yuri, but her eyes glanced at me for a moment, indicating she wasn't opposed to speak with me later. "See you."

"Thanks again!" Yuri exclaimed as she waved energetically to the leaving Kyouko.

"Goodbye!" I exclaimed a farewell as my own and turned to Yuri, who beemed. She then swished her head around, looking for anyone near us, then settled her gaze on me once more, with a happy smile.

"Did I do good, master?" Yuri spoke the words so expectantly, that if she had a tail like Kyouko, she would no doubt be wagging it restlessly.

"Mhm. Good girl." I pet her gently on the head and her face melted into a blissed out smile. "Let's go back home." I took my hand away from her head and started walking, to which she followed.

Yuri was now my loyal slave. It wasn't all that hard to do, with her ability to go deeply into trance easily and her willingness to accept whatever suggestion I gave her, so I'm now having her help with my plans.

Yuri looked up at me with curious eyes. "Are my parents still not back?"

"Yeah. Now that you mention it, they've been gone for quite a while now, haven't they?" I pondered. "I mean, it's not like they left the village or anything, so we don't have to worry; I'm sure they're just losing track of time like you did."

"Ooh, that's right, I did do that, didn't I?"

"You did indeed. What exactly did you do to become such fast friends with her anyways? I was expecting to send you out there on more than one occasion before you actually succeeded."

Yuri's face puffed up. "Geez, master, that's mean. No wonder she rejected you the first time."

"She didn't reject anything." I retorted.

"Hmm… Well, like you said, she was hiding off somewhere, taking a nap where Byakuren wouldn't go."

I had told Yuri about Byakuren, of course, and of my conversation with her. Yuri was an honest soul, however, so I planted a suggestion that she 'knew' this instinctively when going to search for Kyouko. Of course, I also made it so that she would remember it perfectly well when she came back today.

Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, I made her think that the cover story I came up with was also the truth, at least until she came back.

"Where was that?"

"She was in a clearing in the forest surrounding the temple. It took me a while to find her, as I was just wandering around aimlessly, but I managed." Yuri spoke the words casually, but I stopped moving and took a deep breath.

"...Yuri, I'm pretty sure that I told you to be safe as well." I spoke the words sternly, and Yuri flinched.

"I… I just wanted to help master as best as I could…" Yuri made an excuse as her voice became weak all of a sudden.

I had told her to be safe, but this was after she was out of trance. Of course, she was my loyal slave at that point so I thought she wouldn't disobey anything I said, but… Yuri will be Yuri, after all. Looking back on all of that talking about the outside world, there were a couple of things she did to try and implicate she loved me; sitting next to me, inviting me out to places, showing herself in a nightgown to me…

She really was lovestruck with me. That's why she didn't want to be someone that disappointed me, tranced or not.

Yeah, yeah, cliche of dense guy not realizing it, but hey; at least I actually noticed it eventually.

Still, it was no reason for her to endanger her life. "Yuri, the forest is home to stray yōkai looking to eat unsuspecting humans. I'm from the outside world and even I know this. You may want to make me happy, but you'd be doing the exact opposite if you got yourself killed. Do you understand?"

"...Yes, master." Yuri pouted and looked at the ground, dejected.

I felt like I was scolding a child, but now that I've gone onto the path of controlling Yuri for my own desires, I needed to be strict with her. If she couldn't do what I wanted, then what was the point of making her a slave to begin with?

"So? What did you do?" I was genuinely curious about how she became friends with Kyouko.

Yuri perked up a bit and answered. "When I found her, she was curled up in the shade of a large tree. I thought 'She looks soo cute' and before I knew it… I was petting her while she was sleeping."

"Seriously?"

Yuri nodded. "I couldn't control myself and I kept petting her, touching her ears too. Then, I noticed that she was moaning softly and her eyes were open for a split second… she was pretending to be asleep. But since she didn't complain, I continued."

"..." I was speechless, as indicated by the previous quotation. I still couldn't grasp the inconsistency in Kyouko's personality; she acted polite when I first met, turning angry, then curious, then flying away, then turning angry, then meek, and now this information about her allowing Yuri's petting despite being awake…

"A tsun-dere?" I thought out loud.

"Pardon?" Yuri asked.

"It's nothing." I meant that. If there were any tsun-dere's in Touhou Project, I would've remembered them, so that must not be the case for Kyouko.

"Anyways, I kept petting her and she pretended to roll in her sleep, placing her head on my knees. That's when I figured out she wanted to have her neck scratched-"

"What is she, a cat… No wait, just get to the point. You don't need to go into all the details."

"Ah, sorry master. ...I pet her for most of my time there, and when she finally opened her eyes, she had this content look on her face and thanked me. That's when I went with the story you told me to follow and told her why I was there… Oh, but I truly believed it at that time, and she believed me as well. After that I blushed embarrassedly when she explained it was just a prank and bowed my head in apology. She then asked for my name and-"

"Okay, that's enough. You really did a good job-" Yuri's face lit up. "-but seriously never do anything dangerous again, ok?" Then her face frowned again.

"But there haven't been many yōkai attacks in the forest recently…" Yuri complained.

"But it's not zero, which is still too much." I pointed out.

"But master~~!"

Yuri was being difficult with me, more so than i expected. That's when I noticed her eyes sparkling expectantly as she argued with me.

...I see what's going on here now. She wants me to take control of her, using the excuse of her mistake, which she probably already learned from.

I have an easy solution, however.

We entered the house, and Yuri gave me an odd look, no doubt wondering why I had stopped pushing the point all of a sudden. After I closed the door, I gave her a sigh. "I'm too tired to deal with this right now, I'm going to bed."

"Eh!?" Yuri was caught off guard, her eyes wide when she didn't hear what she wanted.

"Goodnight." I started to make my way up the stairs, a look of amusing despair on Yuri's face. She was way too easy to read. Perhaps I needed to train her to lie better, should I use her to manipulate others again…

...Oh god, am I becoming an evil protagonist? That was a line out of villainy 101 I just thought without hesitation there. Still, maybe it was for the best, since this wasn't even my most despicable plan.

I was probably going to do more fucked up shit in the future, essentially.

"W-wait!" Yuri called out after me and I stopped, her eyes pleading. "I… actually just wanted you to put me in trance again, Master."

"I know. You're not exactly the greatest at hiding your feelings, you know?" Yuri blushed at this, then I returned to her. "I don't want you to hide your intentions when speaking with me. If you promise not to lie to me about your feelings, then I'll bring you back into trance." Of course, I'd implant a few suggestions into her mind to make sure she never did so anyways, but might as well give her some semblance of a choice for appearances.

"I promise that I'll never hide anything from master ever again, so please!" Yuri answered almost immediately, her desire to be in trance one of the strongest I've seen in anyone. She even pressed her body up to me and begged me with puppy dog eyes.

This was pretty effective, since I was charmed by her already, but now that I had her as a slave, ironically, that just made her appeal stronger. If I wasn't careful, she would be the one who ended up controlling me…

"I believe you." Yuri's eyes sparkled the moment I said that, an agape, wide smile across her face. Damn, she was just too unbearably cute… can someone be hypnotized by cuteness? I sure hope not… "...With that in mind, let's go to my room without your brother...noticing…"

...Oh you have got to be fucking kidding. Like so many gags before this one, her brother, Yuuhei, was looking around a corner, watching us for god knows how long, hearing god knows what. I was too focused on messing with Yuri, so I didn't pay close enough attention to my surroundings.

When he saw me looking his way, Yuuhei popped his head back around the corner and I sighed.

"Yuuhei, I saw you." I called out and he slowly turned around the corner. He had brown hair and eyes like the rest of his family, his short cut hair a standard for ordinary villagers with no recognizable traits. He was ten years of age and…. ect, ect. Here's hoping I don't have to describe anymore characters, because I really want to interact with more famous people in Gensokyo.

Mainly, Koishi (Ma waifu~)

Yuuhei fidgeted. "Um… Good evening."

"Good evening. How much of that did you see?" I cut straight to the chase, Yuri looking on nervously from the side.

"Uh… When nee-san pushed herself against you." Yuuhei admitted.

I tried hard not to let a sigh of relief leave my mouth. A normal relationship was much easier to explain than a hypnosis one.

"...Um… why did she call you master?" Yuuhei asked.

….

…..

…

 **Fuck.**

* * *

Explaining that she merely called me master, because I was the 'master of knowledge from the outside' was as silly as could be, and it made the brother give us a strange look in response, but he accepted it. Of course, he thinks we were in a relationship now, which isn't entirely wrong, but it's not in the way he thinks.

I guess me and Yuri have to say we're serious about each other to her parents, before her brother tells. Of course, I could hypnotize him, but I don't want to put effort into getting closer to him when Kyouko's more important at the moment; It's easier to just explain our situation as such and be done with it.

After that, I brought Yuri up to my room to bring her further into my control.

"-three, two, one. *Clap* Up, up, up. Wide awake now."

Yuri blinked from my lap, wriggling a bit as she stretched out. Her eyes opened fully, and she gave me this wide grin, a blissed out look on her face. "Thank you, master." I pet her and she snuggled into my hand, purring.

To be honest, I was close to making her have sex with me, but… something held me back. Despite everything being one big simulation, recreated for someone's sick game, it all felt way too real. I had no doubt that Yuri loved me, mind you, but if I didn't hold back at all, I would've controlled her to the point where she was unable to come back; forever a mindless slave, where only what I wanted mattered.

If I wasn't told that this was a recreation, I might've been able to have more confidence in my ability to hold back, but since it was… it made me want to live out my most depraved fantasies. I couldn't do that to Yuri, who I had genuinely grown fond of.

I may have made her my 'slave' but the relationship was less intimate than lovers at the moment; She loved the feeling of trance, so that's all I gave her. ...Well, and maybe a few favors here and there, such as-

"Do you want me to get the ear pick?" Yuri asked, looking up at me with a smile.

"Mhm." I nodded.

I was really interested in ear-picking ASMR before coming to this world, so experiencing the real thing was something I wanted to try at least once, just to see how it compared. Of course, the lap pillow you get is also nice~

When Yuri was about to leave my room, however, she turned with a worried look on her face. "Did you hear my parents come in, master?"

"No… maybe I didn't hear the door open?" I pondered. It was already late when Yuri arrived back, but the fact that her parents still weren't home, despite the small amount of time that had passed since then, was a little worrying. "Couldn't they just be having a good time, like I suggested earlier?"

"Well… I guess. They just haven't been out this late before, so I might be a little anxious with them not being around." Yuri's eyes looked down at the floor, her hand on her heart.

"If it worries you that much, do you want to go check up on them?" I asked.

"No... it's fine, master. If they are at a friend's place, then I can't imagine them being in any danger." Yuri shook her head, reassuring herself. She then put her smile back on and walked out the door. "I'll be right back, master."

I nodded and watched her leave. I didn't think about her parents again, as I had a tendency to over worry about things, and waited in anticipation of the activity.

* * *

After I had awoken and gotten dressed the next morning, I noticed an eerie silence as I entered the dining room, which already had Yuri's parents and Yuuhei inside. "Good morning…" When I saw the upset looks on the face of the parents, I immediately turned to Yuuhei, who shook his head. With the expressions on their faces, I thought that Yuuhei had told the parents about me and Yuri before I could tell them (We had agreed to come out as lovers to her parents, even though it wasn't the case), but Yuuhei's expression wasn't one you made when you tattled.

It wasn't guilty, nor was it proud of doing any such thing. His face was unsure, as though he had no idea what was going on either.

"Is… everything alright, if you don't mind me asking?" The moment I asked, the father looked up at me, his eyes cold and irritated.

"...No, nothing's wrong. Just drank too much last night."

The father was normally a very cheery guy, often making wise-cracks and being very energetic in all he did (No doubt Yuri got her endless abundance of cheerfulness from him), but he seemed really down about something. Of course, he _could_ be hungover, but I doubted it. He looked more upset than sick.

"Okay." I didn't have any reason to confront him on his lie, however, so I didn't. Instead, I sat down and started eating, almost forgetting to say thanks for the meal.

The morning was relatively uneventful aside from the odd behaviour of the parents. I managed to ask Yuuhei if he knew what had happened when we were alone for a moment, but he couldn't even hazard a guess. This had good timing though, as it seems he was less worried about mine and Yuri's relationship now, as horrible as it is to say.

* * *

"Oh! I get it now!" I exclaimed, getting up from my seat. Yuri jumped from my sudden movement, looking confused.

"Get what?" Yuri beckoned me down, as we were getting odd stares from the other customers. Yuri had invited me out to a resteraunt (Is that even what it's called here?) and I had been thinking about Kyouko's personality the entire time.

In the end, what it came down to was what I knew for certain about her character before coming to Gensokyo; I knew that she cleaned the temple's grounds, that she practiced Buddhism to some degree, and that she was in a punk rock band with Mystia.

Combining these factors with what I've seen from her so far, and something 'clicked' in my head. I had jumped up, partly from happiness for knowing what it was, and partly out of frustration at myself for not figuring it out sooner.

I remembered where I was, bowed to the lookers apologetically, and sat back down. Yuri gave me a curious look, and I grinned.

"I know _exactly_ what to do with Kyouko."


	3. Kyouko II

Do you know what makes a good subject to hypnosis?

I can't say for certain, despite my knowledge and experience in the practice, but I personally think it's stress. Whether it's from not being able to express yourself properly, or wanting to do something to remove yourself from a difficult day, stress can be a driving motivation in why people feel the need to 'shut off' so to speak.

I'm sure there's a more scientific explanation, or a better argument as to what makes a good subject, but I will stand by opinion. I've released a great deal of stress from myself, and I'm sure from Yuri, through hypnosis, so… yeah.

As for what this has to do with what's currently going on, it has to do with Kyouko and what I figured out about her personality. Of course, there's no way of knowing for sure if I'm right unless we test a few things. For that to happen, I need to come up with another plan.

I brought Yuri up to my train of thought, then, after we returned home, discussed how to proceed.

* * *

"No wait, it might actually be imagination…" I said aloud, having judged my previous statement as too hasty. But then again, I just wanted to have that little monologue since it directly correlated with what was going on.

Please view me as a competent protagonist. Look at my amazing, confident monologue! Clearly I deserve admiration for being so cool...

"What is?" Yuri looked at me curiously, not calling me master as I had asked her not to for the next while.

"I'll tell you later. Anyways, if Kyouko isn't there, then we'll just ask someone else from the temple to guide us. I don't think they'll refuse us (I hope) so it's no problem."

"Ma- ...Steven, I heard something worrying in that sentence…"

"I'm joking. As soon as we see her, or lack thereof, we're leaving so that we'll be back in the village before nightfall."

It was currently late in the evening, as I suspected Kyouko wouldn't have been awake until later. If I was right, then she probably spent all night playing punk rock with Mystia (how on earth is that cannon, again?) thus the reason for her sleeping in the middle of the day.

Of course, there was the possibility that she didn't go back to the temple after her nap. If that was the case, then we would have to come back the next morning when she'd be cleaning up the temple grounds.

As we walked up the final steps, I couldn't see Kyouko anywhere.

Hmm… I'd feel awkward simply walking in to look for her, now that I think about it.

"Yuri, do you think she'd be anywhere other than here in the temple?"

I had told Yuri all that I knew about Kyouko last night. That, combined with her time spent with her, made her more familiar with her personality.

"Hm… I'd only be guessing here, but I don't think she wants to be here." Yuri said.

"Why's that?"

"She never said anything about the temple when I talked to her. All we talked about was interests and music… Oh, and how she liked to be pet-"

" _ **#$%!"**_

A loud screech entered my ears and I hunched over from the pain. ...No wait, I said that wrong. Let me try it again; AHHHH WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT, WHY, GOD ,WHY ARE MY EARS BLEEDING RIGHT NOW!?

Kyouko appeared from the trees and ran over to Yuri, completely flush and peeved, while Yuri's face lit up.

"Kyou-chan!" Yuri said the words without any malice whatsoever, taking aback Kyouko, but she still stomped over to Yuri and put her hands on her shoulders.

" **Yuri-You-Told-Him**?" The twitching smile on Kyouko was both amusing and menacing, but I was more or less intimidated from it, considering that screech I heard was definitely one of a Yōkai. Yuri, however, must not have heard it, since she still maintained her cheery smile.

Her expression did betray a hint of confusion as she tilted her head. "Did I do something wrong?" The words were spoken without any hint of dishonesty, and I could no longer tell who the real Yōkai was, since Yuri wasn't hypnotized to believe what she was saying this time around.

Kyouko, still flushed and holding Yuri's shoulders gently, spoke slowly. "That was supposed to be private."

"Eh? But isn't it natural to be pet?" Yuri said something ridiculous just now…

"Why do you think that?" Kyouko seemed to be conflicted between being pissed off and dumbfounded.

"Well, Steven pets me all the time."

"..."

"..."

Yuri, what the fuck are you trying to pull?

At any rate, the look Kyouko gave me wasn't angry, but it was judging me. Hard. Luckily, a lightbulb went off in my head.

I shook my head and hands, giving off a serious expression. This seemed to further Kyouko's confusion and I sighed.

"Kyouko, can I talk to you over there?" I gestured to a place in the open space of the temple grounds. Not too far, as I still wanted to keep an eye on Yuri, since she usually did unexpected things. Kyouko seemed like she wanted to know exactly what the fuck was going on (my interpretation), so she nodded.

Yuri tilted her head again as we moved away from her, but didn't follow us. Her knowing grin started showing when Kyouko wasn't looking, and I gave her a grin that said 'You better have a good explaination later'.

"So, what is this all about?" Kyouko cut to the chase.

"Well… Yuri has this unnatural obsession with being pet on the head. It bothered her and she thought that it was strange but I told her it wasn't. Now, she expects me to pet her and I don't have the heart to tell her no, because then I would be telling her that I lied and that it wasn't natural after all…"

"..."

"..."

Me and Kyouko looked at each other in silence. I had spoken that little made up context on the spot, so I was surprised with how I didn't slow down for a moment when I was explaining it. I think I did a good job, but I felt my mouth twitch when I realized just how pathetic the explanation made me out to be.

There was nothing for it, since I couldn't think of any other excuse that made any amount of sense for Yuri's words… Wait, is that why she made that up in the first place?

"...I see. So that's why she was petting me yesterday." Kyouko spoke those words no sooner than I had realized what Yuri had just done.

She used me to explain the oddness in her actions yesterday. I'm still not sure why, but I know she'll tell me later, at any rate.

"Normally I'd make fun of you for it, but…" Kyoko averted her eyes from me and glanced in Yuri's direction, a small tinge of red across her cheeks.

"But?"

"...If you don't correct her or stop her from petting me, I won't correct her or make fun of you for reassuring her."

I see; Kyouko must have really enjoyed yesterday, if she was willing to go to such lengths to ensure she might be pet again. Her cheeks were slightly flush too, so she must've been swallowing a bit of her pride with those words too.

"Agreed." I had no reason to refuse the deal. If anything, Kyouko wanting to be pet by Yuri is a big plus, since they'll be closer together as a result. Of course, I'm sure the petting will have a relaxing effect and-

...Ah. So that's what you're up to, you mischievous brat.

I'm sure Yuri likes being pet by me, especially since I do it to her while she's down in trance. She finds it soothing and relaxing, so perhaps she wanted to put Kyouko into a situation where she could feel the same things Yuri does. Yuri made that all up so that it'll be easier to hypnotize Kyouko when the time comes.

...Should I feel disappointed that she's doing most of the work, or proud for having realized it was a good idea to have her help me in the first place?

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Yuri called out to us, acting curious, but I have no doubt she knew exactly what we were talking about.

Kyouko didn't seem to notice this, and tried to hide her embarrassment as she approached Yuri. "It's nothing. So what did you two come here for?" Kyouko switched topics as quickly as possible.

"Well, you know how you were talking about 'punk' music before and how it's from the outside world?" Yuri said the leading question, to which I reacted as discussed beforehand.

"Wait, there's punk music here?"

Kyouko turned her head back to face me. "Oh yeah, you were originally from the outside world, huh? ...Um, I learned about punk music from another Youkai who learned it from a human from the outside world."

"Oh?" This was news to me. I knew that it had to come from the outside world (duh) but I also knew that Mystia (who I figured Kyouko was referring to) wasn't exactly the most fond of humans, even if they were of her. It must've been special circumstances for her to have learned something from a human. "Wait, is this the surprise you talked about Yuri?" I asked Yuri another question we discussed beforehand.

Yuri nodded. "Mhm! And so, Kyouko, would it be alright if you played some music for Steven sometime?"

Kyouko blinked. "Huh? Why do I have to?"

"Well, Steven's actually a big fan of music too, and he wondered how different it was here from the outside world. You also mentioned how you liked to perform music… is it no good?" Yuri's face became troubled, implying that she was worried that she was bothering Kyouko with her request.

With the act we're putting on, I almost feel bad for Kyouko, since she has no idea what our end goals are.

Kyouko frowned and shook her head. "It's… not that simple. Besides, doesn't he already know what punk sounds like?"

"Well, I must admit I'm a little curious on what you're version of punk music is." I interjected, to which Kyouko sighed in response.

"Hmm…" Kyouko crossed her arms and tilted her head in deep thought. "I normally perform music with someone else, and they aren't too fond of humans."

Tell me something I don't know.

"Wait, is this the Youkai who taught you about punk music?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"If they aren't fond of humans, then why did they learn punk from one?" This was bothering me, and luckily I managed to veer the conversation in a direction where I could ask it.

"There were special circumstances involved. ...Hm, I can't really bring her into this, so-"

"Huh? Why can't you perform by yourself?" Yuri asked, to which Kyouko blinked.

"...Oh, that's right." Kyouko looked like she hadn't thought of it. "...And it's obvious too, huh." She looked down at the ground and her tail swished in dejection, as though she had done something wrong.

"Is something wrong?" I felt the need to ask.

"No… nothing's wrong." Kyouko waved her hand lazily and her eyes blinked rapidly for a moment.

"Normally when someone says nothing's wrong, that usually means there is something wrong." I stated.

"Like I said… there's nothing…" Kyouko's words cut short and I noticed that her eyes were looking off into the distance. I turned to see what she was looking at, but all I saw was the stairs and surrounding forest, tinted by the setting sun.

Normally, one would assume that a Youkai could see something humans cannot, thus explaining her behaviour. However, I already had a sinking feeling in my gut based on how strangely Kyouko was acting, combined with what I assumed to be her current circumstances, and spun around to see her eyes start to roll back into her head.

"Kyouko!" I leapt out and grabbed her before she hit the ground, my arms supporting her by the back and rump as I gently laid her down to the ground. Yuri rushed over almost immediately in shock, never expecting Kyouko to have been in such a bad shape, even though I told her what my thoughts were on what she might have been experiencing.

Kyouko's duties required her to clean the ground of the temple. She is a practitioner of Buddhism which has a strict moral code, including starting early in the morning. To deal with the stress of her religion, she started playing concerts in the forest with Mystia late at night. If you ask yourself why she was sleeping in the middle of the day, the answer was obvious; she was staying up all night, playing music in the forest with Mystia up until she had to attend to her duties.

However, and this was the biggest issue; If religion was the reason for her being so stressed, then why wouldn't she quit?

This was the part about Kyouko's character that didn't make sense when I learned more about her. At first, I attributed it to a quirk that could be used for jokes, as other practitioners of buddhism in the temple did things that went against their practices for humor, but now that I knew Gensokyo was real, that could no longer be a reasonable explanation.

Also, there was her strange, contradictory behaviour when I spoke with her. It was inconsistent and nagged in the back of my mind.

That's when I finally figured everything out; Kyouko is doubting _herself_.

It was very subtle, but if I looked back on everything with my interactions with her, it felt like she was trying too hard in everything she did, even when she interacted with us. She claimed it was because we were strange, but she ultimately left herself open enough to have Yuri pet her before that. She could've angrily chased me away when I admitted I wasn't there to see her specifically, but she decided to say nothing and take the nap she needed.

She could've stopped practicing her religion, but she stuck with it despite the stress. Why? Because she was trying to find who she was.

...At least, that's what I think is going on. It's more or less an identity crisis, I guess. And if it's been going on for a while, she's probably been exhausting herself each and every day and night in an effort to find something that gave her that comfort of 'identity'.

After befriending us, she must have re-evaluated herself again, since she was a Youkai and probably hadn't had any human acquaintances before this. Playing punk rock, practices Buddhism despite disliking it, and befriending humans she barely even knows when she had never been friendly with them before… the conflict between how she acted for each and every one of those things might have stressed her out to the point that she finally shut down.

Yuri started to move to get help from the temple, but I told her to stop, to which she gave me an appalled expression.

"But master-!"

"Just give me a moment to think." I said sternly, Yuri's face scrunching up for a moment before resting in a frown.

...Anyways, what the fuck do I do now? I'm not a psychologist, so I could be wrong and she might actually be sick or something. But, if I'm right, then this would be the perfect opportunity to hypnotize her when she wakes up.

I stared at Kyouko's unconscious, aloof expression, her breathing quiet and steady. It just seemed like she was resting right now, but it's obviously not normal for someone to fall asleep with no warning while they stood.

That upset feeling of morality in my gut is telling me to get her help. She is not okay and she needs someone who knows what they are doing.

 _But none of this is real._ Everything here isn't real. Yuri isn't real, Kyouko isn't real, the temple isn't real… All that's real is me right now.

...And I already accepted that I am here to participate in someone's sick game, or people I know will die.

"...Yuri, help me carry her back home. Quickly before anyone sees us."

"! Master!" Yuri was pissed, I could see it in her face. No, more than pissed, she was infuriated.

There was only one thing to do then.

"I'm joking. Sorry, that was really in poor taste." I immediately said.

Yuri was still upset, be she calmed down a bit at those words. "Master, this is serious. I'm going for help-"

"No, it's fine. I've seen this happen in the outside world before. It's better to stay here with me in case she wakes up, because if she doesn't see you, she'll question her own memories from before she collapsed, possibly damaging her own brain."

...This… was a lie. No, it was more than that. It was a sign that I had truly sunk to new lows.

Yuri's expression turned from slight anger to actual worry, believing everything I said, since I spoke with the determination I usually did; whether the truth or not. She came and kneeled down where me and Kyouko were.

"She'll be up in about five minutes. We'll take her to the temple if noone comes by us, okay? Also, you shouldn't worry; her life isn't in danger."

All of these words are meant to calm down Yuri. Her expression becomes understanding, her face relaxing the tension it had from being angry, and finally, visible relief showed as she exhaled deeply.

" _You are a slave without thought._ "

She didn't have a chance to react as a trigger phrase I previously implanted into her took hold, her eyes becoming vacant and her jaw slackening; She had instantaneously went into trance.

"You will help me carry Kyouko back home. We will take care to avoid having anyone see us as well, so make sure to move quickly, yet carefully. Understand?"

"Yes, master."

Her sudden response was a testament to how deep she went, how much she trusted me.

I bit my lip and helped lift up Kyouko with Yuri's assistance, still trying to swallow my nerves from the act I followed through on.

* * *

It was difficult to bring Kyouko all the way home.

Not so much in terms of carrying her with Yuri's help, just making sure people didn't see us was the issue. When we had reached the village, I almost considered banging my head against a tree when an easy solution came into my mind; giving Kyouko a piggyback.

She looked like she was sleeping, so while I can only imagine what rumors would get started from it, it won't look like we're kidnapping her.

I still needed to hypnotize Yuri even if I realized it sooner though, because she was there when Kyouko collapsed and wouldn't have agreed to bringing her back her otherwise.

I made Yuri believe that me, her and Kyouko where on our way home when Kyouko started to yawn really loudly. I offered her a piggyback ride so that she could rest while we made our way there, and she agreed surprisingly… that's the story. I also made her forget about Kyouko ever collapsing. So when Yuri came out of trance, she acted like her usual cheerful self while we walked through the village.

"Ma- Ahem, Steven, shouldn't we wake her? Rumors might start…" Yuri also seemed to realize the consequences of having Kyouko on my back.

"It's fine. With everything that's been going on, I want her to get as much sleep as she can. Besides, if nothing similar happens in the future, then those rumors will fade away in no time."

"Hmm… If you say so."

We had a fairly uneventful walk back home, with the odd look here and there, but nothing too serious. The fact that Yuri was cheerful, yet quiet when chatting with me also made it seem like nothing wrong was going on.

The moment we arrived home, I asked Yuri if it was alright to lend Kyouko one of the futons so that she could sleep some more. We ended up giving her Yuri's bed, after she said that she wanted to be in the same room so that Kyouko didn't go off looking for us and ran into her parents (we had already agreed to keep our meetings with Kyouko a secret even before going to see her today).

If Kyouko didn't wake up, then I was going to hypnotize Yuri accordingly and get some actual help for her, but luckily for me, Kyouko did wake up, giving some weight to my theory that she just fainted from stress.

"Ugh…. where am I?" Kyouko mumbled, seemingly having no strength to get up.

"You're at our house. Don't you remember falling asleep on Steven's back?" Yuri asked.

"I… what?" Kyouko sat up slowly, her strength slowly coming back as her eyes blinked.

"We were on our way over to our house, after you agreed to come over, and you seemed tired so I offered to give you a piggyback ride." I said.

"You offered… a what ride?" Kyouko was now fully sitting up, holding her head.

"He carried you on his back." Yuri stated.

"...He did what!?" Kyouko seemingly got all of her energy back at once, throwing over the covers and jumping out of the futon.

"Well… you agreed to it." I said, playing it off as coolly as possible.

Kyouko's expression was bewildered, but I saw her wobble a bit and said expression faded. I leapt up to support her.

"Woah, you shouldn't get up so fast. It usually makes people dizzy." I said, trying to hide what happened.

Kyouko looked up at me with blinking eyes, slightly narrowed and blank. "I… I can't remember any of that."

"You seemed out of sorts when I offered, so I guess that makes sense." I offered as I helped her sit down on the futon.

"I… I guess so." Kyouko seemed to accept that explanation and shook her head, as if to shake the confusion off and out of her head. "I've been tired alot lately."

"Why is that?"

"Um… Performing my duties and playing music all night, worrying about things… Ah." Kyouko closed her mouth, realizing she said more than she wanted to.

Waking up so confused added to the disorientation, so it was no wonder she spoke slightly uninhibited.

"Worried?"

" **I-it's nothing!** " Kyouko exclaimed that so loudly that it wasn't an exaggeration to call it an overreaction.

Both myself and Yuri gave Kyouko a surprised look, although mine was faked while Yuri's was genuine. Kyouko's ears shot up and her mouth trembled. She knew that she spoke way too loudly.

...Wait, aren't Yuri's parent's ho-

The door to Yuri's room opened and I felt my heart stop. I slowly turned, my mind working at a breakneck speed to come up with some reasonable excuse that wouldn't make hiding the fact that Kyouko was here a big deal.

But wait, Kyouko yelled loudly just now, maybe a little bit angrily. What will they think? They won't want their daughter hanging around a Youkai that got irritable, and they would no doubt want the outsider to stay away since he was responsible for bringing the Youkai over…

...Fuck it! I can't think of anything, so I have to pull something out of my ass!-

-at least, if it wasn't Yuuhei who stood in the doorway.

"...Oh, it's just you." I spoke those words without thinking, relief showing plain on my face.

Yuuhei didn't take too kindly to this and frowned. His eyes then widened at the sight of Kyouko. "A Youkai?" His surprise was obvious.

"A friend. She was just showing us how to throw our voice." The lie came out smoothly, as usual, even though it was completely ridiculous.

"Throw… what?"

"It's possible for people to speak in a way that would make their voice appear somewhere else. I never learned the method in the outside world, so Kyouko is just showing us how to do it now." Speak calmly, try not to let on that anything's wrong….

"Yeah. Were we being too loud?" Yuri chimed in, getting over her surprise and shock, and took the same calm tone as me.

"Uh… Um…" Kyouko was looking back and forth between myself, Yuri, and Yuuhei. Poor thing, she was just thrown from one situation into another. "Y-yeah, I guess that's what i was doing." She decided to play along, not knowing what else to do.

"She's pretty shy, but when she throws her voice, she just yells out, like 'wham'!" I made an over exaggerated gesture. "Sorry about the noise… oh can you apologize to your mother and father for us? I'll apologize later for it as well." I felt like it was taking too long for the parents to react to the yell, so I spoke those words to confirm a hunch…

"Huh? But they're not here right now…" Yuuhei answered, confirming my suspicions.

Again? This was the third evening… something was up with them, but I couldn't be bothered to find out what it was yet.

"Oh, well then we'll try to keep it down. If we're bothering you, we can move somewhere else if you want?" I asked, internally relieved that nothing went wrong.

"..." Yuuhei stared at us intently, seemingly wanting to say something. Yuri noticed this.

"What is it, brother?" Yuri asked.

"...Can you teach me how to throw my voice too?" Yuuhei asked, his eyes sparkling.

….

…

 **FOR FUCK'S SAKE.**

* * *

Of course something like what I described would be interesting to a kid. Fortunately, Kyouko played along for a little while, giving difficult instructions to Yuuhei, who eventually gave up. When he left us alone, she looked at us with guilty eyes.

"I'm sorry for yelling like that." Kyouko said.

"No, it's okay. But you look like you're troubled by something…" I said.

Kyouko hung her head and looked at the ground. "...Yeah, I am."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yuri followed up and Kyouko shook her head.

"No… I don't. I'm sorry." Kyouko's ears couldn't sag lower if they tried, her guilty face growing clearer. It sees like she knew just how much she was worrying Yuri.

"Hmm… Well we can't force you to talk, but if you feel stressed, I can help you out with that." I said, perhaps pushing my agenda a little too quickly.

Kyouko looked up at me with curious eyes. "You can help…?" Kyouko's voice trailed off as her cheeks turned bright red and ears perked all the way back up.

"No, no, no! While you are indeed pretty, I was not suggesting whatever it is you're thinking of right now!" I stated hastily, Kyouko's ears sulking back down a bit.

"O-oh. ...Of course not." Kyouko seemed relieved, but… why was it that she seemed like she wasn't completely opposed to the idea?

"...Kyou-chan, you wouldn't have-" Yuri seemed to pick up on it as well.

"No! Don't be ridiculous!" Kyouko exclaimed, her red cheeks still remaining and her tail wagging in spite of her intentions.

...Well, I guess I'll have to ask her exactly why she would've been alright with sex when she's unable to lie; as in, when I have her in trance.

"At any rate, have you heard of something called hypnosis?" I asked Kyouko, who shook her head. Perfect. "It's a method of relaxing from the outside world. Yuri can attest to it's effectiveness."

"Oo, oo, it's like being petted by a thousand warm, soft hands!" Yuri stated excitedly.

...Say what?

"A- a thousand?" Kyouko's tail started wagging as her expression became much more interested in the conversation. Oh, I guess that's why Yuri described it that way… Kyouko's expression changed in the next moment, however. "Wait, how late is it?"

"Ah…" Our eyes rested on the window, where no hint of sunlight could be seen.

"I need to go!" Kyouko jumped up to leave and I reached out to grab her wrist.

"There!"

"Yuri!?"

Yuri had beat me to the punch, halting Kyouko's momentum despite the fact Kyouko had more strength, being a Youkai. Kyouko was as surprised as me, and Yuri looked stern.

"Why are you leaving?" Yuri asked.

"I need to go play music with Mystia…?" Kyouko wasn't sure how to take Yuri's sudden forceful action.

"And how many nights in a row have you done that? No, more than that, how many times have you stayed up all night to do that?"

"..."

Kyouko went quiet after that question, unable to look Yuri in the eyes. Yuri was speaking as though she saw right through her, but of course she would after I basically gave the rundown of what I thought was going on.

"...Hey, why don't you just humor us for now? Surely being late once won't hurt, right?" Yuri then smiled, insisting on it.

To do what she had just done required nerve. I'm not sure if it was more or less than what I had mustered up previously, but to impose on someone you've only known for a day, poke your nose into their own personal problems, and force your kindness onto them was definitely up there. Whatever Kyouko thought as she looked at Yuri, I don't know, but I could guess.

To take a break from her usual routine to relax, or to stay true to her commitments that were causing the problems in the first place. The conflict was, at the very least, plain on her face, but Yuri said something that made it disappear in an instant.

"See? You're troubled even now. Why are you even thinking about it?"

Surprised yet again, Kyouko's ears sulked and she tilted her head. Then, she finally sighed in resignation. "...If it feels as good as you're making it out to be, then I guess it can't hurt."

...Yuri is best sidekick NA right now. Without a doubt.

* * *

Kyouko laid down on top of the futon and I told her to follow my instructions and focus on my words. It wasn't really anything complex; I was going to do what I did with Yuri. Despite the lack of creativity, it was a surefire shot and I was comfortable with the method right now. I told Kyouko to start by taking deep breaths in and out and she did so, but not before asking a question.

"Hm… is this like meditating?"

"It has some similarities, but it's not the same. Right now, you should just focus on relaxing and following my instructions, then you will see why they are different."

"Ok…"

Kyouko seemed tense still, despite what I asked of her. My first objective was to make her fully relax, so I just told her to keep taking deep breaths in and out, as well as some more direct instructions; to focus on how tense certain parts of her body were when she breathed in, and to let that tension just melt away when she breathed out. Her first reaction to this suggestion…

"A-ahmm…"

Was a soft moan, with slight surprise mixed in. Despite the fact that she was surprised with what she was feeling, I was more surprised (and relieved) that she was taking my instructions well. I continued with similar instructions to the previous one; build up the stress on the breath in, let it all out on the breath out. Let whatever stress remaining here or there build up on the next breath in, and feel it fade away on the next breath out. Ect, ect.

Kyouko still somehow had her eyes open by this point, and I saw the glassy, narrowed, pleasured eyes. Her ears twitched, but not enough to describe it as violently, and her mouth was cutely agape and trembling; it was an incredible expression, but it just made me question how much stress she had built up for her to have such a reaction to this?

Well, that doesn't matter now.

"And now, it's time to remove the last thing preventing you from fully relaxing." It was the moment of truth. To make her go into trance and accept my suggestions in full. "Your thoughts. They won't go away forever, so don't worry; the stressful concept known as thought will come back afterwards, but you are here to relax and take time away from all of your stresses and worries, are you not?"

Kyouko blinked dazedly, eyes lazily rolling down to look at me. Her trembling mouth moved ever so slightly, hesitantly, but…

"...Yeah."

Her positive response was all that needed to be spoken.

"Good. Now, I want you to breathe in deep and gather all of those stressful thoughts and worries…"

Kyouko's body slowly rised with the air she inhaled, and I could see her narrow eyes go wide as she accepted that direction. And, I'm sure she was already prepared for what would happen next, as she had just did the same to get rid of her tense muscles.

"...And now breathe it all out, leaving your mind relaxed and empty."

Her body lowered and her wide eyes narrowed even more than before, and her limbs seemed like they had completely gone loose. Perfect.

"Breathe in…"

Her body rised…

"And breathe out all of the things preventing you from relaxing."

And lowered.

"Continue relaxing and breathing deeply, going further into this wonderful feeling."

And she did, her body rising and lowering with each breath, and it seemed like she couldn't move at all. I turned around to look at Yuri, who seemed to have joined Kyouko for the ride, as she sat upright, but slouched over and with eyes closed. ...Well, it's not like I should have expected anything different from her.

Now then… how to proceed with Kyouko…

"The more you let go, the easier it is to go into this feeling of deep relaxation, free of stress and thought. You might feel warm and fuzzy too, and that's perfectly natural. It feels good, so it can't be a bad thing. And now, you can start to feel yourself fall gently into this feeling, more and more. A feeling to fall into, because it is vast and powerful, and it feels so good. You can feel yourself fall into this feeling, but it's not scary because it feels so good to do so. More and more relaxed, feeling better and better and better…"

Kyouko's eyes had fully shut at some point, and her steady breathing hadn't shaken once. Now it's time to see if my suggestions will stick to her… although I think I already know the answer, it doesn't hurt to be careful.

"Now, focus completely on my words and let your mind become even blanker than before. Devoid of all thought and ready to accept my words, because they are the absolute truth. Whenever I say 'speak the truth', you will answer my next question honestly and without hesitation, nor will you feel uncomfortable or odd doing so. You also won't find it odd that I say 'speak the truth' no matter how many times I say it. This will absolutely happen when you wake up from this deep, relaxed state. Also, when you next wake up, you will find that you want to try hypnosis one more time before leaving, because it just feels so good that you can't help yourself, but you won't know why because you can't remember a single thing from it. This is the absolute truth. Now then, on the count of 1 to 10, I will bring you back from this deep feeling of relaxation. When I reach 10, you will be back to normal, but you will feel more relaxed and refreshed than before."

I took a deep breath myself, and counted down from 1 to 10. It was a little nerve-wracking, despite my earlier success, because this was a Youkai I had just tried hypnosis on. Any one of them had the strength to kill me without even using any of their powers.

Kyouko blinked for a bit and yawned when I reached ten, her eyes ending up on a yawning Yuri, who also woke up when I reached ten.

"So, how do you feel?" I asked.

"…It wasn't exactly how Yuri described it, but…" Kyouko blushed a bit and her tail wagged. "It was extremely pleasant."

"Speak the truth. Would you have had sex with me if that was what I had intended before hypnotizing you?"

I decided to jump right to it, damn my impatience. Kyouko blinked and tilted her head for a bit, then responded.

"Um… I'm not sure, but I was thinking about it."

….FUCK. YES. Now I can manipulate Kyouko! ...Of course, I might as well take the time to satisfy my curiosity for now.

"Speak the truth. Why were you considering it?"

"Well, it's not like I don't have an interest in that sort of thing… and I heard that when you're doing it, you forget about everything and just lose yourself in pleasure. But I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it with you in particular."

Ouch… But maybe it's because she barely knows me? (Sure, let's go with that.)

"But you thought about it because you felt that you wouldn't mind, even if it was Steven, right?" Yuri spoke up, continuing the topic for some reason.

"...H-huh!? Wh-wh-" Kyouko's ears perked up and the redness in her cheeks increased.

"Speak the truth. What's the answer to Yuri's question?"

Kyouko's eyes stopped darting about, and her expression relaxed, even if her cheeks remained red. "Y-yeah, I thought that if it would make my problems go away, if only for a while, I wouldn't mind having sex with him… with anyone, really."

I'm not sure how I feel about that…

"Speak the truth. What are your problems?" Now it's time to see whether I'm just a gappy stu with overpowered guessing skills, or a slightly unconventional gappy stu who gets things wrong… Wait, both are terrible!

"...I'm not sure what I'm doing." Kyouko started speaking during my inner panic, her tone glum. "I… I got into Buddhism because Byakuren was so kind to me, and I devoted myself to it, even if I had trouble following six perfections. But somewhere along the line, I met Mystia and got into music because of her, eventually starting the only band that plays punk rock in Gensokyo. That's when I realized I was having fun, screaming at the top of my lungs, practicing so hard on the guitar that my hands bled… it was tough, but it was fun. But then Byakuren said that it's affecting me in a negative way, preventing me from following the perfections and that I should stop… No, that's not right; she never would tell anyone what to do, but she may as well have. How am I supposed to say to her that I don't want to quit playing punk music? And why am I supposed to give it up simply so I can devote myself to Buddhism better?"

Kyouko's words starting picking up pace, blurting out everything inside her heart. "I know that it would be easier to quit one or the other, but I don't want to! Why can't I have both in my life!? I want to strive to be a better Youkai… a better person! But I also want to play music with Mystia, even if our only audience is a bunch of rowdy fairies, simply so that I can feel that exhilaration of putting forth all of me in song, you know!?" Okay… now this is getting kinda serious. I can see tears starting to roll down Kyouko's cheek. She couldn't stop speaking the truth from my suggestion, and now she's showing exactly what's making her so stressed. "I hate this! I hate all of it! Even if I'm not allowed to hate, I hate it! Why can't I have both!? Is it really that big of a deal!? Why can't-!"

...Kyouko's voice faded into the background. My vision focused on her upset, crying face. I simply wanted to satisfy my curiosity, as well as find anything I could use to control her better, and I did. If my goal was to change how the Myouren Temple did things, then there was no doubt that she would get both. If anything, it was perfect, even though my guess about what Kyouko's problems were was wrong.

But, if I did that, I would be completely trampling on her feelings now. It wouldn't be the same thing. She would have music and _whatever I changed her practices into._

This stung. Just a little. If I wanted to continue on my path to conquer Gensokyo, I needed to warp Kyouko's way of thinking at the cost of her original feelings. Maybe it would have been better to have left the problem without looking into it? ...No, I needed to use it to my advantage. I am a powerless human with no powers except words, so I had to use everything at my disposal.

Besides, everything was just a recreation… even if those tears looked real.

I looked at her sad, pitiable expression.

 _She isn't real!_

Kyouko had a will; to keep both of those parts of her life without sacrificing the other, even if it made it difficult on her.

 _Her feelings aren't real!_

Kyouko was alive.

 _None of this is!_

…

….

When I look at her, just what am I supposed to think? I personally think she's stupid for not giving up Buddhism and trying to be a better Youkai without it, but I also think that I'd truly be crossing a line I couldn't return from if I forced her opinions and ideals to change.

That being said, wasn't I already prepared to cross that line when I made Yuri my slave? What about when I brought Kyouko back here?

I can't hesitate anymore, because I need to conquer Gensokyo at any cost.

The only thing left was to wait for her to calm down, and eventually show interest in being hypnotized once more. Although I wasn't sure just how long it would take for her to do that…

Kyouko finished crying while I was lost in thought, her eyes still a little red as she wiped her tears away with the shoulder in front of her; Yuri was hugging her. I was glad to have her there, as I probably would have been too timid to have done so myself, out of my social awkwardness.

And so, I simply watched on as Yuri comforted Kyouko, waiting patiently as she became quiet. I saw her glossy eyes peek up from the shoulder she was crying against, and lock onto me with some interest. It wasn't sudden, as I had been waiting a while, but it still caught me off guard when she looked at me like that.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked.

"...Mm. But… I was wondering…" Kyouko's words seemed to trail off and she looked away. She seemed to be embarrassed. Yuri looked a little uncomfortable in response to this, for some reason.

"W-well if it would make you feel better…" Yuri muttered that, then shook her head rapidly. "No, on second thought, I can't let you have sex with him!"

Kyouko spoke at the exact same time. "Can you use hypnosis aga-...Huh?"

"What?"

Both me and Kyouko looked at Yuri with blank expressions (and not in the tranced out way) and her face became beet red.

"O-oh! Right! I meant… yeah." Yuri gave up looking for an excuse and sulked as she moved away from Kyouko.

"...You were still thinking about that?" I asked Yuri.

"...W-well… I mean, you showed more interest in the idea of you and Kyouko having sex than you ever did from having… sex with me. So I just assumed-"

Yuri is quite honest with me because of some previous suggestions I planted the last time I hypnotized her, so I was already well aware of her willingness to have sex with me. Of course, she was mistaken, and I wasn't showing interest in the idea of having sex with Kyouko (although I might be thinking about it just a little) but I was just curious about what she was thinking.

Kyouko shook her head almost as rapidly as Yuri did earlier, with flushed cheeks and perked up ears. "N-no, I just wanted to feel hypnosis again! I wasn't thinking of anything lewd like that!"

Well, hypnosis is lewd to me, so you're not really making a good argument for yourself. Not that I'll tell you.

Yuri looked up, slightly relieved, but still clearly embarrassed. "O-oh, I see. I'm sorry!"

"A-as long as you understand." Kyouko's ears flopped back down and she eyed me again, with seemingly dewy eyes. "So… can you do it again?" Her tail was also wagging, and I tried hard to avoid smiling right then and there.

Kyouko was cute! She was way too cute! If only girls in the other world were as cute as this!

Wait, it doesn't matter, because I'm already in the world with all the cute girls in it! Ah, so there is a silver lining for being forced to play this stupid game after all! Thank you, whatever gods may be in Gensokyo, for letting me see such beauty…

...Ah, I think I went a bit crazy for a moment. Wasn't I just feeling bad for what I was about to do? What am I doing, immediately getting over it? (Although it does help if I'm no longer bothered by it) Anyways, there's really only one answer to her question.

"Of course. It's no problem at all."

Kyouko gave such a satisfied smile in response that I felt like I would reach out and hug her at a moment's notice. I guess I understood why Yuri would decide to pet her simply by looking at her; Kyouko was pretty cute.

I told her to lay down and went on auto-pilot (A.K.A, I re-used the previous induction). The main reason I did this was because I didn't want to risk trying a new induction and it not having the intended effect. I may have been overthinking it, but I felt like it would be easier for new subjects to go into trance if they knew what to expect; a comfort zone, if you will.

It was a very timid, perhaps lazy, approach, one that I would get reprimanded for if I were back on earth (I've decided to simply call here Gensokyo, even though they are both technically earth), but fortunately for myself I wasn't there. I didn't have to entertain the idea of coming up with more new ideas to drop people more than necessary because I doubted anyone would be picky here.

I got Kyouko pretty deep… I'd like to think deeper than last time… and let out a sigh of relief. The hardest part was already over the first time, but I still felt a bit nervous. Having her this deep though was reassuring. I saw her closed eyes, as though she were sleeping, and steady relaxed breathing making her small body rise and sink ever subtly with each one.

I carefully went over what I was going to say to her in my head, when-

"Hey master…"

Yuri whispered into my ear and I almost jumped. I didn't however, because I didn't want to break Kyouko's trance. Even startled, I could hold myself back for the sake of a good trance. That being said…

"You didn't go do-"wn?, is what I was going to finish off before I felt her hand slide up underneath my shirt and touch the center of my chest. I couldn't speak, completely caught off guard by the sudden motion and how warm and gentle her hand felt.

Yuri's soft, warm voice dripped like honey as it drifted quietly into my ear. "You're thinking something perverted, aren't you?"

...Ah…. this is…. really bad.

The mind latches onto suggestions easier when it's confused, so… For her to speak so sweetly while I'm still trying to grasp what's happening…

…..

"It went up… you are thinking something perverted."

"...Yeah…"

I was looking at Kyouko's body at the moment the unintentional suggestion was spoken...

N-no… she couldn't….

"You're looking at Kyouko with eyes of a beast… So you really do want to have sex with her…"

My mind… isn't all here… flashes of taking the vulnerable Kyouko and making her mine….

…Am I…really…

…Being…..

…Hyp….no….

…...

"...Yes."

"Then… you'll make her a sex slave?"

Those thoughts still ran rampant, so the question I would have normally answered 'no' to recieved a different answer altogether.

"Yes."

"...If that's what master wants… but… you told me you planned on hypnotizing many more people after this, right?"

"Yes."

"And since Kyouko was someone you planned to hypnotizing… does that mean they are all girls?"

The only people in Gensokyo I thought of at the top of my head were female due to obvious reasons.

"Yes."

No thoughts as I felt the arms move around and hug me from behind, holding on tightly.

"Then that means you planned on having sex with them all…"

Yuri's misunderstanding, with no inclination to insinuate a question at that specific point would soon have lasting consequences that would change my plans forever, whether she or I knew it or not.

"Yesss….."

"If that's the case… then make me a sex slave as well…."

I wouldn't remember any of this.

* * *

I blinked a bit, staring down at Kyouko's relaxing form. For some reason, my head felt a bit foggy… but the feeling came right after I made a relieved sigh, so I didn't think much of it. It was probably a "hypnotist trance", where the hypnotist themselves go into trance as they hypnotize someone. It's pretty common, I think, so I didn't really give it a second thought.

The feeling of someone's arms around me alerted me to Yuri's presence. I turned to look at her, and she was also in trance… Wait, was she hugging me like this when I was bringing Kyouko down? I hadn't noticed at all… I mean, I guess being in a hypnotist's trance might make me unaware of such a thing… but I must've been really gone to not notice her hugging me at all.

I shrugged internally. I already thought of a reasonable explanation, so there was no need to dwell on it any longer. Instead, what I needed to do… Right, I needed to turn Kyouko and Yuri into sex slaves. After that, Kyouko wouldn't have any problems helping me meet up with Mystia, who I'll also turn into a sex slave.

Mhm. ...Hmm? Isn't that different from before? But how could it be; it makes the most sense, right? If they are my sex slaves, lost in pleasure and lust, then they'll be especially cooperative, not to mention the obvious perks for myself... Muhahaha… wait, I'm totally evil right now, aren't I?

Was I always such a villainous character? I mean, sure I'm going to manipulate everyone into doing my bidding, but… Something feels off? ...No, I must just have troubles shaking off my guilt since my actions have quite a bit of weight to them right now. Yeah, that must be it.

I shall push those feelings aside and do what needs to be done.

"Now, feeling so relaxed, so deep into this feeling of endless relaxation and bliss, where you lose all sense of thought and just wade in the safe abyss of hypnosis, you begin to feel something growing, deep within as you start to slip even further into this feeling… it's a place you have never been before, even during hypnosis. It's even deeper than before, and it may be new to you, but don't worry, because my voice will be there for you, guiding you safely down to this wonderful new experience. You will soon find yourself free-falling into this new feeling, but you will be perfectly safe and it will feel soo good to let this happen. You might tremble in anticipation of how it will feel to go deeper into hypnosis-"

Kyouko's body did so, and I could feel Yuri's do so along my back.

"-and that trembling makes the anticipation feel so much more unbearable. You want to go deeper. You _need_ to go deeper. And so, I will answer those feeling of yours by letting you free-fall into the feelings on the count of three. Three…. Two…. one…. feel yourself fall into the feeling, an even deeper one than before, knowing that no matter how far you fall, I can always bring you back up. You start to feel even more wonderful, more relaxed, and your mind is even more blank than before. These feeling are overwhelming, completely taking your mind, body and soul over… but the reason this is no problem is because hypnosis is actually a domain under my absolute control. I can give you back your mind, body and soul effortlessly, so it's alright to let them get swept away in the infinite depths of hypnosis."

...And now… to attempt to instill absolute control.

"Looking at it another way, because your mind, body, and soul are in a domain of my absolute control, they, by definition, are also under my absolute control. This is how I am able to make you feel completely relaxed and happy. I'm such a kind person, using my power to make you feel such wonderful things. You enjoy feeling good, so I'm going to make you feel even better. As you fall deeper into my domain, you can feel yourself begin to become aroused. It feels so good too, and it grows stronger and stronger the deeper you fall into my domain, and the deeper you fall into it, the more aroused you feel."

Kyouko's cheeks started to become a tinge of red, and I felt like her breathing became a bit more heated. I could definitely notice the changes in Yuri, however, as her breathing felt even more hot and I could feel two things poking into my clothed back. I didn't need to look to know what they were.

"The arousal is getting stronger and stronger and you can't help but fall deeper and deeper into my domain, and by definition, my absolute control. Being under my absolute control makes you feel so good. You are becoming more and more aroused by the second, unable to prevent the pure pleasure of being controlled by me from coming. You have never felt such intense pleasure as a woman before this moment, when you allowed yourself to go into my absolute control, where all your troubles fade away and nothing seems as important than what you feel right now. Let go of any lingering thoughts, stresses or worries and give in to these feelings, the ones you never want to let go."

Soft moaning entering my ears, Kyouko's body twitching adorably, Yuri's squirming against my back, and I'm pretty excited myself right now.

They are mine now.

"The arousing control just keeps growing, never stopping, and you just sink even further into it, completely at it's mercy. Now, listen very carefully to my voice, and let the words sink deep into your mind, currently driven delirious from the pleasure of being controlled. When next you wake, you will find yourself unable to move unless you climax. All the while, you will become more and more aroused. This is because part of my absolute control has rooted itself deep inside of your mind, unable to leave. The pleasure will build endlessly and more intensely, with no release, unless you swear to be my sex slave, completely obedient to my commands and desires. When you swear to be my sex slave, you will be bound by that word and no longer have any desire other than serving me to the best of your ability, under my domain or not. When this happens, you will not think or desire to escape or resist my control, nor will you seek help to do so. By saying you're my sex slave, you are removing all of your inhibitions that would prevent you from being so, simply to make my control feel that much better. Also, whenever I say 'Absolute Command', you will obey whatever I say following that phrase. All of these things will happen the moment you wake, which you will do so on the count of twenty, as you are so far gone into my absolute control…"

I could barely keep my voice steady as I counted down slowly and purposefully. My cock had gotten really stiff and hard during all of this, so much so that it was a wonder how I held back for so long.

When I reached 1 and said to wake up, Kyouko blinked and looked around from where she lay, a little groggy. Then, her eyes opened wide in surprise, and finally, I could see panic in her expression.

How weak and vulnerable she looked… it was exciting~

"Master…"

Yuri spoke under heated breath, her voice carrying confusion, and I smiled.

"Swear you're my sex slave and you'll be able to move again."

Not even a second passed and Yuri responded.

"I am master's sex slave."

The moment she spoke that I heard an extremely loud moan which I managed to turn around and cover with my mouth as she arched her back towards the ground. She looked at me with narrow, lust filled eyes. After what felt like a couple minutes, her convulsions calmed down and I removed my hand from her mouth. Of course, Kyouko was speaking more and more confused, but not nearly as loudly as she normally would from the heat that was becoming more and more apparent in her voice.

Yuri gave a huge smile towards me, red cheeks and eyes that seemed to sparkle.

"I'm finally master's sex slave…"

She said that as her lips went onto mine, an electric surge of pleasurable energy seemingly at their touch. Her fingers went down to touch my cock, but I held her hand back and pulled away. She looked confused, but I gave her a reassuring smile.

"We should attend to your friend before it gets too much for her to bear."

Kyouko's eye darted between me and Yuri as we approached her and her panting and need was apparent.

"Wh-what is going… mmm… on?"

"It's a game; You're going to become more and more aroused, unable to move, and unable to climax. The only way to move again is to swear to become my sex slave."

"To… what…?"

Kyouko could barely say those words before another moan escaped her lips. I gave a devious grin and slid a finger across the erect nippled I could see poking from within her clothes.

"Kya! Wh-Mmm…. Wh-why does it…. Ahn…"

Kyouko's confusion was losing to her lust. Yuri also donned a grin and got a little more intimate than I had with Kyouko, putting her thigh and pressing down in between Kyouko's legs, while pressing her body along Kyouko's.

"Ah, Y-Y-Yuri!?"

A gasp of pleasure and shortness of breath. Yuri seemed to enjoy the reactions of Kyouko and slid her hand across her small chest.

"A-ahnn~"

"You're so cute Kyou-chan… look, master's cock is nice and hard because of you…" Yuri turned Kyouko's head towards my member, which was still underneath my clothes, but my lust was apparent. "See… You should just be a sex slave with me, that way we can enjoy it together…"

"En-joy…?" Kyouko's heavy breath grew heavier, apparently reaching her limit. It probably helped that she had no idea what was going on as well.

"That's right… You'll get to ride his thick hard cock. Doesn't that excite you?"

Kyouko's eyes were darting once again between Yuri and myself, but she wasn't looking at my face. Her vision was lingering more and more on my cock as time passed and I could see her swallow.

"...I feel so….. And I can feel better….?"

"That's right Kyou-chan, you can feel so much better. All you have to do is swear to be master's sex slave…"

"I… I….. I swear…."

"Swear what…?

"I'm… master's sex slave."

Yuri was one step ahead of me and covered Kyouko's mouth as I could hear her moan. The convulsions lasted much longer than Yuri and her twitching was more rapid. She was much more stressed than either of us though, so I think it made sense.

When she finally calmed down, her dream-like eyes locked onto me with a curious expression as Yuri removed her hand.

"Master's… sex slave…"

I couldn't help myself any longer and just took off my pants and underwear, revealing my towering cock. Yuri gave a joking whistle and Kyouko stared at it like my cock itself hypnotized her. That idea itself made it even more erect. Her unwavering vision and wagging tail was also erotic, in a sense.

"You two, start sucking on my cock."

"Yes master."

"Yes… master…"

I stood up and both came up to me kneeling, then put their lips to the left and right side of my base and started sucking. The shock that ran up and down the base to the tip of my cock sent shivers down my spine. I had never esperianced felatio before, not to mention double felatio or even sex for that matter.

It was… wow. I might actually cry, that's how good it felt. There were so many things to appreciate, like the contrast between Yuri's aggressive and wanting suction and Kyouko's slow, yet undeterred motions as she used her mouth to familiarize the shape of my cock.

Eventually, Yuri moved upwards and monopolized the head, while Kyouko tried wrapping her mouth as far around my base as possible-which wasn't much-without me even directing them. Kyouko's far off look suggested that she was probably in a trance like state, but that's not really a big deal, since my commands obviously worked on her when she woke up.

Yuri was being too aggressive, however, and at the rate she was going, it might have finished me off sooner than I wanted.

"Yuri… let Kyouko try sucking on the head now."

"Mmph, pwah~ Yes master."

Yuri didn't look the slightest bit disappointed as she let Kyouko take over. Perhaps that had to do with the suggestion that their only desire is to serve me to the best of their ability?

Yuri went back to the base as Kyouko's mouth slowly encircled my head, and I felt the slow, yet strong suction alongside the brushing of her tongue against my frenum.

...This might actually be more dangerous than Yuri's sucking, on second thought. Even though she has no experience (I think), her movements are hitting my biggest weakpoints as well as doing it in a such a way that it's just barely giving me what I want. It's not on purpose, but it's like she's teasing me, building my arousal slowly, yet strongly.

I might lose my mind if I don't stop her soon.

"...Alright, that's enough with sucking my cock."

"Yes master."

"Ch~…. Yes master…."

Let's see…

"Yuri, you've waited for this for a while, so let's start with you. Kyouko, I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait."

"Yes master!"

"...Yes master."

Yuri practically pulled me down onto her futon, her excitement as obvious as mine. She gave me a deep kiss the moment I got close enough and our tongues entwined in heated passion. Yuri put a lot of effort into stimulating me; her hands getting a firm grip on my cock as she kissed and pressed her body against mine.

However, she was stroking my cock a bit too fast, her excitement getting the better of her. I pulled my mouth away from hers, despite how badly I wanted to keep kissing her, and gently took her hand off my stiffness. Yuri looked at me with confusion and expectation in her eyes.

I answered her silent question by sliding my hand under her skirt and feeling out for her pussy. It was only fair, I thought, that I got to touch hers she she touched mine.

"Hya! M-masster~!"

The sudden increase in the sweetness of her voice came alongside the feeling of tender, slick skin across my fingers. It was my first time touching a woman's most precious place, and it felt a little overwhelming, the way her vaginal walls seemed to move at my touch. Yuri, of course, was another person, who had the feeling of being alive and well.

I forgot all about the the thought of everything being a simulation; a replication; at this moment. Right here, right now, Yuri was alive. Her warm, soft and responding flesh, her noticeably quick breathing and ecstatic expression that looked far off…

I lost myself and any thoughts I may have had.

I flipped our positions to get on top and practically tore off her clothes-to her complaining delight-and I stopped moving when I looked down at her. She looked up with teary, yet joyous eyes as she knew it was finally time. Her mouth voiced a worry, however.

"Ah, Yuuhei might hear…"

Kyouko, who had been watching us, approached and hovered around Yuri to her left. The actions confused us, but then-

"...I can… make it so that he doesn't hear..."

Kyouko's power… of course that would work. She could just throw Yuri's voice somewhere (At least, I think she can do that…? I'm a little too horny to think at this point and time). I nodded at her regardless and pressed the head of my cock against Yuri's entrance. Just as she was about to make a shrill gasp of surprise-

"...Mpmh?!"

"Hau, ch-"

-Kyouko pressed her lips to hers!? S-so that's what she meant by making it so that Yuuhei didn't hear? Actually, more importantly…

"Mmm, chu, hauuu, K-Kyou-ch- Ahmph~!"

Watching Yuri half-heartedly struggle as Kyouko french's her is really fucking hot!

...And my cock just got bigger too. Will it be okay? I'm not able to hold back right now, however. I slowly started pushing my thickness into Yuri…

"Hmm, mmu, hammph~!"

Yuri's movements became wilder, but Kyouko held down her arms and was single mindedly kissing her with her entire being. It looked like she was enjoying it, as her tail was wagging during the act. Of course, Yuri seemed to enjoy it as well, as her muffled moans became louder.

As this happened, I hit a bit of resistance as I was pushing forward. ...Right, Yuri's a virgin. So then… how do I proceed from here?

A)Thrust in one go

B)Give up here

C)Ask her if she's okay before proceeding

-D)Use hypnotic commands on her, of course!

Well, it was the obvious choice. Anyone else would have chosen this…. Right?

...What's that? C was the obvious choice? Pfft, nah, we need to adhere to those who came because of their hypnosis fetish. No one came here for 100% vanilla, so I shall proceed with my own selfish des- I mean, the duty I have been given to please the audience.

Yup, nothing wrong with that!

"Absolute command; Whatever pain either of you feel during your first time with me also builds the pleasure. The stronger the pain, the better the pleasure."

I spoke those words and I didn't see any change with what the two were doing.

However!

I thrust boldly past Yuri's resistance, as I had complete faith that she would feel exactly what I wanted her to feel. And, as I did so, I saw her tremble and arch her back violently, a loud, shrill voice escaping the kissing as something warm flooded onto my cock.

Wait, did she cum the moment I penetrated her?

….F-for that matter...this feels really, realllllly good. I mean, I knew that it was supposed to feel good, but actually hearing it and experiencing it is entirely different.

"Kyouko, stop kissing her for a moment."

"Mmmchu~ ...Yes master."

Yuri was panting and her eyes looked dazedly at the ceiling, her tongue showing as saliva trailed off her lips. Based on that, I would say my guess was correct. But more importantly…

"Yuri, are you still with us?"

"Yyessh, mashter~~~~"

She sounded like she had never been happier in her entire life. Yuri's drifting eyes lazily moved to look at me and she calmed herself to the point where she could give a big smile.

"It feels sooo good… It hurts too but I don't care….."

I gave a smile myself and moved a little inside her, making Yuri writhe in pleasure as she let out another moan, this time a little subdued.

"I'm going to move. Kyouko, I'm counting on you again."

"Yes master."

Kyouko immediately pressed her lips back onto Yuri, who looked rather eager for her kissing to continue… I guess she was named 'Yuri' for a reason….….….….

Shut up. It's funny.

As they enjoyed themselves, I decided to follow suit and move my stiffness aro- ahhhhhhh! This feels way too good! Like seriously! U-um, I moved it deeper and shifted it around and all I got was pleasurable sensations all around. I pull out a bit and shift it in a similar way and guess what? It still feels fucking good! Yuri also started moving around to feel better and that felt amazing as well!

This is what sex feels like!? Maybe I was too hard on the school days protagonist for having sex simply for the sake of having sex? (Lol, jk, he can die in a fire).

I'm unable to think straight, the feeling is just moving from where me and Yuri are joined and tingling throughout my body, like electricity. Like this, I thrust rapidly to try and feel even more of these new sensations, mindlessly and without restraint. Then-

"...! Cumming!"

I don't know how much time I had been thrusting myself into Yuri for, but I reached my breaking point and released my load into her. Everything was just too much for me to hold on. Yuri visibly squirmed from taking my seed, and her eyes rolled back into her head as her squeals tried to escape from Kyouko's mouth. From how her hands gripped the nearby futon, I assumed she climaxed again as well.

I blinked for a bit, looking at what I had just done with Yuri, then snapped out of it.

...Fuck, I came inside, didn't I?

W-well, it looks like Yuri doesn't mind, so I guess it's fine? But then again, she's under the influence of my suggestions… and what if she got pregnant?

"...Master…"

While I was thinking about that, Kyouko had parted from Yuri and moved towards me, some saliva trailing off from her lips, looking expectantly at me. Truly, today was a day full of sights to behold.

….Wait, can I even consider cumming twice in a row right now? I mean, it happens all the time for visual novel protags, but does it happen irl? No, wait, putting that aside… I pulled myself out of Yuri slowly and gently, and at the same time as me looking at the mess I made, a tired feeling hit me like a ton of bricks.

I think I might have put forth a bit too much energy…

Looking down at my less-hard cock, there was (Censored) and (Censored) dripping off of it. ...Well, what else was I expecting? Sex is dirty, after all. I guess the first thing that needs to be done is to clean this mess.

"Sorry Yuri…"

I said that as I grabbed a clean corner of the already dirty futon sheets, and wiped off my cock. Meanwhile, Kyouko was still looking at me, expecting it to be her turn next. Um… what do I do in such a situation?

No wait, I got it! Hypnosis is able to make things that aren't normally possible occur, including multiple orgasms for men, regardless of circumstance! In that case, it's possible for it to happen out of trance as well! Which means-

 **I CAN GET HARRRRRRDDDD!**

….

…

….

It was at this moment that every man shed a tear of sympathy at the plight of a future harem master, who looked at his cock with stubborn focus, trying to will it to get hard so that he can simply satisfy more than one woman back to back. Truly, a man would never leave any woman unsatisfied, but there were some things that weren't possible without training. But for trying his best, they all nodded in acceptance.

Truly, Steven was a man for trying.

At least, that's the narrative I'm using to cheer myself up. I looked at Kyouko with apologetic eyes and thought about what to say.

I mean, I guess I could just command her to masterbate or orgasm on command, since she _is_ pretty suggestible now. But it doesn't feel like it would be the same. Just as I was thinking that, Kyouko pressed herself up against me, unable to wait any longer.

"Wh- Kyouko!"

"Master…."

Her eyes were narrow and dilated, and her hot breath brushed against my lips. The blush on her cheeks became noticeable along with her earthly scent at the same time of her two protruding nipples poking along my chest through her clothes. Her tail wagging, thumping the floor with a dull pounding, the sight of a woman in heat as she rubbed her bare, wet, hot lower area against my cock….?

A-ahhhhhh! It's rising back up!

It couldn't fully curve upward because Kyouko's lower region was currently blocking its progress, but who the fuck cared, I was hard again!

What happened to her underwear? Who cares!?

I see it off in the corner, so she must have discarded it when I wasn't looking, but who cares!?

I sure don't, because I don't care about plot holes and it's not like leaving them would bother the fuck out of me! (B-b-baka…)

Speaking of plot….

I almost tore off her dress as I pulled it up and above her head, and pinned her down to the ground with renewed fervor. Her dull, lust filled expression stared back up at me, then down to my once again towering erection. My eyes wandered from her face down to her slender body, similar to Yuri's, but she was slightly shorter. Her pink colored nipples contrasted the pale white skin and her slight curves highlighted her womanly charm.

Her tail was pinned under her body, and it had stopped moving, as though she herself had stopped breathing from my sudden aggressiveness. I lowered my face to hers, thinking to kiss her while we had sex to hide the sound, but I was much taller than Kyouko. So then, I put my mouth near her ears and spoke.

"Be sure to throw your voice where no one will hear it."

Kyouko's eyes widened at this, despite still looking dazed, in a trance-like state. Then, I thrust my cock into her at once, going through her resistance all in one go, as the previous suggestion I gave them was still in effect.

First, I saw Kyouko's gaping, trembling, almost in disbelief expression make a few squeaks, then her expression visibly, but not audibly, screamed in pleasure. Her tail thumping began again, and was rather loud, so I grabbed onto it as I began steadily thrusting in and out of Kyouko's inviting, moist warmth. She seemed to tighten up in reaction to having her tail grabbed, leaving a pleasant clinging feeling on my dick as I continued.

Her lower body started moving along with mine, and her eyes no longer looked far-off, but rather, it was as if hearts were in them. Her smiling, agape, panting mouth with trailing drool mouthed 'master' and I could tell she was yelling it even though no noise could be heard from it. Ah, I wanted to hear it! I'll be sure to fuck her somewhere we won't be bothered, but for now, I was reaching my breaking point yet again.

I began thrusting more aggressively, and Kyouko's expressions and movements became more wonderful in response, eagerly helping me and her towards orgasm.

It happened suddenly, almost disappointingly so, but everything just felt too good.

For the second time, I came, and filled Kyouko's accepting need with my lust. A rush of discharge also came from the opposite direction, telling me that Kyouko orgasmed as well. I took deep breaths and realized I was sweating and on my last bit of energy. It was already a miracle that I was able to cum twice in a row after putting forth so much energy when having sex with Yuri, but now that I finished again, I felt my strength leave me.

I didn't want to trouble Kyouko with my weight, so I put my weight to one side as I fell onto the futon. I closed my eyes and continued my panting breathing, deciding to take a rest before cleaning up the mess that was left.

Just…. A little rest….

….

….

* * *

Groggy and a little euphoric, I blinked absentmindedly to dimly lit room. It was the one I had been staying in since I arrived in Gensokyo. I sat up slowly, trying to recall what happened for me to get here to begin with, but all I remembered was…

….

…

…..

 **HOLY FUC-**

 **I just made Yuri and Kyouko my sex slaves! Woooooo!**

...Ahem. Anyways, I didn't know what I was doing back in my room. I lifted the sheets off my body, and saw that I was naked. My first guess is that I was dragged off to my room by someone, maybe Yuri and Kyouko? Following that line of thought, I vaguely recall a dream where I was walking lazily along with someone… and the dim light in my room is coming from the covered window of my room.

I peeked from behind it, and saw that it was sunny outside. It was already the next day.

* * *

Fully clothed and aware, I made my way downstairs to see Yuri. She was already eating breakfast when I came into the dining room, and I saw that there was no one else there as well. Perfect.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

After finishing a bit of rice, she answered. "Yuuhei is out playing with some friends. My parents… I'm not sure. They did arrive back home yesterday though, while you were asleep."

"I see. And Kyouko?"

Yuri nodded. "She left without being seen. I already told her about master's plan to take over Gensokyo. Once she's done her duties for today, she'll meet us outside the village."

Hm…. Hmmm?

Yuri is kind of like a secretary, isn't she? Managing things and making plans for me to meet up with others… Well, it's a silly comparison my sleepy brain is coming up with at the moment. I haven't fully woken up yet…

…..More importantly though-

"Hey Yuri."

"Yes master?"

"You're my sex slave, right?"

"Don't be silly master, of course I am!"

Yuri said it with a laugh and I scratched my head. I mean, that's great and all, but it just seems like everything is the same as usual with her. I stared at her for a while and Yuri looked at me curiously.

"What's wrong master? Do you want to do it again?" She said, tilting her head while putting a finger to her lips provocatively.

"No… well, I mean yes, but not right now. I'm just thinking that it's strange, since you're acting like you normally are."

Yuri blinked, confused and responded. "Well, that's because I love master."

"Huh?"

"My feelings for you haven't changed all this time, so… is it strange?"

…...I'm touched. Really, I truly am. It makes no sense for Yuri to like me, yet she does and she's so honest about it.

I only had one girlfriend in my entire life and that lasted a week before we decided to break it up. It was a nice time, but we just weren't… you know, in love. That's why we both had an easy time breaking it off before things got too serious.

Here, someone I was interested in told me that she loved me. The reason itself didn't matter, what mattered was that someone other than my family said they loved me. Me, of all people.

"M-master!? What's wrong!?"

Yuri had jumped up and put her hands to my face, wiping off the wetness that was crawling down. I smiled embarrassedly, holding her hand as I asked.

"Am I really someone who can be loved like that?"

Unhesitatingly spoken. "Yes, because I decided to love you."

"Why?"

"Do I need one?"

"... Is… that alright? I'm using you and yet you still can say that you love me the same way as before, even though you're being manipulated?"

Yuri finally paused before answering, but spoke with the same unwavering tone. "It's embarrassing, but I enjoy being manipulated by you. I'm sure you have something to do with my feelings towards it, but you had nothing to do with my feelings of love towards you. No matter how much I felt like doing whatever you said, or how good everything felt it didn't change my original feelings; they are still there."

I blinked, then I stared agape at her. She spoke as though she knew exactly what I suggested to her in trance. "Yuri, is it possible that-"

"I remember everything you did to me, yes."

"But… why?"

"You didn't tell me otherwise, did you?"

I thought back; I certainly told her to forget the first time, but what about every other time? ...I don't think I bothered since she was going to be my slave anyways.

...I see. So then-

Yuri pressed her lips against mine, without tongue, just a gentle press of the lips together, a tiny spark of a little world to ourselves, and then she parted with a shy smile.

"If anything, I'm happy that you showed so much attention towards me… All of the other girls in the village are fawned over more than me, and I get jealous easily, you know? So for you to want me by your side over anyone else…"

 _Do I need one?_ Her words from earlier when I asked her for a reason. So the only reason she fell in love was because I showed an interest in her? That's… it?

But there was an even bigger problem with what Yuri said.

"Yuri, I'm-"

"Going to make even more sex slaves, right?"

Once again, I was seen through. Yuri looked down a little sadly.

"I know. I already know that, even though I want to beg you to have me as your one and only. Even though I just want to have someone to love, selfishly, I want you to only look at me. But… even so, I will help master without complaining."

"Why?"

"Because even if master has the entire world as his sex slaves, I will be the only one who truly loves you. The only man who was found of me will only be loved by me. They may say they love you, but all they will have is lust. I've seen so many people turn their backs on those who they've claimed to love only for them to leave them for another. But… if every woman in the world only has lust in their heart for you, then you can only love and be loved by me, won't you?"

"You don't… trust me if I were to stop everything and simply love you?"

Yuri looked me dead in the eyes, shimmering with tears.

"I do not."

Before I could ask why she would go to such extremes, such absurdities, the front door slid open loudly and Yuuhei came in crying. The silence that followed as Yuri's father entered almost left me breathless from the tension. He came in and looked at me, currently witnessing his daughter on the verge of tears, hands held by the foreign boy from another world, and sighed.

"Steven… we need to talk."

The signs were all there. I was just blind. Her parent's constantly going out, even late into the night and their strange behaviour during the following morning's breakfast.

I was tired when I woke up today, so I hadn't seen Yuri's pained expression. Her face looked normal, but it was visibly upset when her parents were mentioned. Yuri's voice was also so unwavering when going over her motivations that it was unnatural.

What could shake her faith in anyone who promises to love another so badly? My eyes widened and I turned my head to Yuri, who still continued smiling sadly.

"There's no way I can believe you."

My voice trembled as I asked her father. "You… was it you?"

His face, guilty immediately, looked downcast.

"...! You **fucker!** "

I threw whatever rationality I had aside and charged the man, tackling him to the ground and punching him in the face with all of my might. I could hear Yuri screaming at me in the background, but I didn't care. Everything was just red in my vision, and I couldn't comprehend anything that flew out of my mouth.

" **Why the fuck would you do that! You were happy, goddammit! You had a good family, a nice daughter and a shy, but intelligent son, and your wife was one of the kindest people I've ever met, so why!?** "

My fist flailed at his head, but he finally grabbed onto my hands after a few good hits. I continued screaming at him.

" **I finally found someone who told me they earnestly loved me and now she won't believe in me because you decided to think with your dick!? I….. I hate you! You fucking moron… why would you go and ruin the happiest moment of my life like that… what gives you… the right…** …"

I lost all strength. I just screamed as I sobbed pathetically.

I never really was happy, you know? Like, not nearly as happy when Yuri said that she loved me. So… That's why I'm acting like a brat. I'm not a good person, nowhere near one, yet someone said they loved imperfect me, despite what I had done. That's why I couldn't give a single fuck about what personal reasons he had for cheating on his wife, or even for how much I'm sticking my head where it doesn't belong.

It was a good reminder though.

This story isn't one about love.

From the beginning, it was, and always will be, about my own selfish desires.


	4. Rumia I

I was lucky to have so many things that others struggled with in their day to day lives.

I had a warm house, good food, education, caring parents… All of those things I took for granted when I was young, I was lucky to have. Of course, I still complained and whined like a kid, but that's just how things are. It's normal.

When I was about… Nine? Eight? Maybe younger? I had to go a couple of times to a place called 'respite', or something. I stayed there and was taken care of by strangers who were strict and made me do things i didn't want to do, and eat things I didn't want to eat. During that time, I met a girl… let's call her K… who couldn't communicate except through yells and moans. She was the first and, to this day, only contact I've had with someone on the more extreme side of autism.

Someone who had the same thing as me, yet was unable to do all those things I could do because of how extreme is was. I was told that she was happy, despite being dependant on other people to take care of her, but I still felt a little sad.

At around the same time, I worked with 'social workers' I think they are called. Early years with them were great; I got to eat some junk food after school, and watch videos and do little exercises without knowing what they were meant to achieve.

I was told I had autism at age ten.

I didn't connect why I had to go to respite or work with those workers, even after being told of what I had. The reason I was given after it was all over was because they wanted me to be able to function and socialize in society. Truly, I had parents who cared.

But that only made me suffer more.

At around age thirteen, after I hit puberty and was exploring… my urges, I started to become more and more dissatisfied with my life. I was a loner at school and bullied here and there. Of course, I only realized it was bullying at that time in my life. I recall those videos I was shown when I was with social workers… you know, the ones where it's clearly in the 80's/90's… and I tried to apply those.

It didn't do a damn thing.

Also around that time, I began to realize I was being shown the same videos, over and over again, despite my protest. The same morals and lessons that made no difference whatsoever for my situation being repeated, making more irritated and angry.

I wasn't being helped. And every time I tried to speak about my feelings, it was either ignored or countered with angry adult voices. It was because I wasn't as articulate as they were. My parents saw this, so they thought I needed to keep going to the social workers for help.

I closed myself off to everyone, even my family. No one understood me, or what I even wanted to say. The entire world was rejecting me. At least, that's how I saw it.

I was blessed to be born in Canada, a place I truly love. I was blessed with a good family that was well off. I was blessed with a unique outlook on life. I was blessed with many things I look back on and appreciate today.

But at my lowest point, with no friends and no desire to try to open up to my parents, for fear of being misunderstood and scolded, I was in an abyss I couldn't possibly hope to escape from.

….

…..

….

It was lonely. I had little to no video games to play, as my time playing them had been regulated by my parents, who wanted nothing but the best for me. With that escape taken away from me, I turned to reading books and watching anime online, but even that couldn't fill the void in my heart at the time.

With no one who I truly felt I could talk to, that loneliness gave birth to a delusion… No, I can't say that about her.

I was lonely, and I wanted love at that tender age, not fully aware of what it truly meant to 'love'. You all know that phase. Those feelings of loneliness and curiosity gave birth to an imagination; a girl with snowy white hair, green eyes that shone like emeralds, and a big heart that always listened to my problems and supported me, even when I was in the wrong.

I named her Ruka.

She was… as embarrassing as it is to say, an imaginary girlfriend. And I imagined her like I did my animes, two-dimensional. It was only natural, after all, since all of the real people around me weren't as kind or as caring as her. She also had a couple of cute ears and a tail; a wolf-girl. But she wasn't aggressive (or furry, let me make that clear. ...Not that there's anything wrong if you like that kind of thing, I guess.)

When I thought about her, I felt a little less lonely. For years, she was the one who supported me through my hardships and social anxiety. Not anyone but her. Little by little though, I receded further and further into my shell, not even trying to communicate any more than necessary with the people around me.

Why would I, when such a wonderful person was all I needed?

I valued being loved by someone who truly understood me, and supported me as a lover more than anything else in the world, even if she wasn't real. Nobody mattered more to me than her, and I married her in my mind.

I was fifteen.

I no longer went to respite during those years, but I still ended up going with social workers, probably because my parents were aware of me closing myself off. Also… I have to correct something; I don't think I truly realized that the social workers weren't helping me until around this time. Everything just is so jumbled in a convoluted mess of raw emotion that I might have trouble remembering it exactly.

I think I got my first part-time job around this time…? Maybe a little later, but that's not the point.

At the age of sixteen, I really truly believed that Ruka was real. I also believed that she would come and we would live a happy life together as husband and wife. It didn't have to be anywhere special, it could even be in the same town as my family; as long as I could be with her, that was all that mattered.

On a snowy day, waiting for the new day to arrive… I think this was in december… I had talked with Ruka in my mind, in my imagination, and she told me she was coming to be with me. I waited, staring out the window of my room, to see her come through the snow, that resembled the color of her hair.

I think I waited for ten minutes past 1 before I finally realized she wouldn't be coming.

…..

…..

…..

I truly was alone.

It was all well and good in my head, but out here in the real world? I was nobody.

If I died, the only ones who would be affected would have been my family members.

I had maybe one or two friends, finally, at this age, but one was… a bitch and the other was someone I rarely saw.

I just didn't give a fuck about anything anymore, but I didn't consider suicide. Even if I had nothing, I still had myself. If this world was so bent on being against me, then I'd give it the middle finger and live, in spite of it. ...I was scared of what happens after death, in all seriousness. That's probably why I never considered suicide once.

At the age of seventeen, maybe eighteen, I was still in social worker hell.

That's when I finally had enough.

No matter how hard they yelled back, no matter how much it hurt me, no matter how frustrating it was to keep trying, I finally got my inarticulate feelings across to my parents.

What did I have to show for it? I finally was able to communicate with my parents and I no longer had to be with those assholes who couldn't give a damn about the people they were paid to help. We moved out of town and I started university with a brand new confidence, even if my social abilities weren't perfect.

It was sloppy, imperfect and maybe too pathetic, but… I was happy. I played as much video games as I could though, and still became a shut-in, haha, but… I could actually talk with people. After moving away from the town of my miserable 18 years of life, I felt like I could really… enjoy life, even if it was just behind a screen.

I was still a huge kid inside, and I blame that on the social workers, but at least everything turned out… kinda alright? I wanted to do all the things I was restricted from doing back at home… mainly playing all sorts of video games (hahaha).

….At the age of 20… maybe 21, I got a girlfriend.

Like I said before, that didn't last long so it only gets a brief mention here.

As for the point…. What all of this has to do with anything.

Why I explained so much of my past in detail… It's because there was one thing I asked Ruka, and all of this that I've gone over, supports said question's fairness.

 _Do I really deserve to be loved?_

I was still a child, regardless of what circumstances stunted my growth. I had done nothing but ignore the world and gave grades of C during school. I was a loser who let life pass him by because he gave up on the people around him at a young age, and even now, was simply wasting away watching anime and playing games.

 _Yes, because I decided to love you._

That was the response Ruka… no, I gave myself. It was, after all, only my imagination, no matter how much I didn't want it to be. That's why I never thought I would ever hear from someone other than myself, ever in my entire life. And yet….. And yet!

* * *

I only got in a few good shots at the father, and he didn't look too beat up, because I wasn't all that strong to begin with. His eye looked at me sternly as he spoke.

"My daughter… said she loved you?"

I sputtered, choking on the inhale of disgust I gathered. I screamed again.

" **Yeah, and I love her too, but now, because of you…!** "

Ah. I'm crying. I can't stop crying either.

" **Why would you go and do that, you fucktard...?** "

I slumped away from his grasp, just completely out of it. If Yuri… even is she was fake… convinced me to love her, I would have scrapped my entire plan and found another way. Why? Because she said she loved me, dammit! Even if this Yuri was fake, there was a Yuri in Gensokyo, right? That meant that someone out there would love me! That's enough… that would have been enough for me.

For her, I would've done it. Just like she would love me simply for being interested in her, I would love her simply for loving me. They were both shallow, stupid reasons; her's was probably related to something that happened as she grew up as well, but so what!? That would've been enough for both of us.

Now….? Ha, what the fuck about now?

She won't ever believe in me. Yuri idolized her dad, and now that fucker was found out to be cheating? Even this fake world is going against me? Fuck off. ...Actually, even if this were the real world, that would mean her father would still be a cheating bastard, since it's based on the real residents of Gensokyo.

...I just don't fucking know anymore. What am I supposed to do?

It seems like the father wasn't expecting me to act up that way either, because no one in that room made a move, or spoke up. It was incredibly awkward and tense, a suffocating atmosphere of negative emotions.

If no one else is going to act, then fuck it.

"...I'm going out to clear my head."

I wiped off whatever was on my face and got up and stormed out, managing to put my feet into some shoes (which were brought from when I got teleported here) before leaving.

* * *

I just walked aimlessly, lost in thoughts.

What was my main objective here?

To conquer Gensokyo. I was a part of that game, after all.

How was I going to do it?

I was going to hypnotize all the important characters, make them my sex slaves, and use them to achieve my goals.

...Yeah, that should be all. My family and (very few) friends back home will be in danger if I don't do this, right? It's no longer possible to have a romantic relationship with Yuri… Unless I changed her way of thinking with hypnosis yet again. But then what? I couldn't possibly go through with my original plan, after going to such length to make her believe in me.

If I left her like this… I could still go through with the plan. I could still do this.

Any other plan I could think of would just end up with me dead, so it's probably a blessing in disguise that this all happened… right? Plus… Yuri said that she would help me still, even though all of this happened.

…

….

….

Then it's settled. I'm going to continue. I'm not going to fix anything, because I need to use all of this to my advantage. That's the type of mentality I've already decided on, and I should follow through on it.

The grumbling of my stomach brought me back down to earth, and I realized I had no idea how long I had been walking for, as a blanket of darkness had already settled on the land. I was already outside the village, on the dirt road… but I couldn't see anything familiar other than that. Did I really walk for so long that it became dark, however…?

…..

….

….

Wait.

...No.

No, no, no, no!

I mean, she _is_ an inhabitant of Gensokyo and _does_ eat humans, but she likes the darkness more than the sun, right? Just because she can manipulate darkness, doesn't mean she would use it to travel when the sun's out, right? She might want to make things darker than black (copyrighted) and move at nigh-

"Such a tasty smelling human~"

 _ **RUN FOR THE FUCKING HILLS!**_

Shit! Fuck! Why in the fuck is she here now!? Can't you see I'm fucking distraught with a bunch of serious emotions!? I stumble a bit in the artificial darkness and look over my shoulder, a blob of darkness more pure than the one surrounding me coming closer. And the voice that came from it was that of a young girl's.

"Hey, mister, let me eat you~"

"HEY, SURE, YEAH, BUT IF IT'S VORE, NUH-UH! FIND SOMEONE ELSE FOR THAT!"

I kicked up even more dirt as my feet hit the ground beneath me as I deliriously spat out a joking statement. Normally I made jokes in serious situations to defuse my own stress, but earlier I was too mad to even bother. That's not the point though-!

"Ahahaha, you're slow!"

Guh-! A stabbing pain shot up through my leg as I collapsed onto the ground. I looked and saw something fizzle out from where a new hole in my leg was. That bitch just shot me with a fucking magical bullet! Not fair!

Adrenaline kicked in rather quickly when I realized my life was in danger, so the pain probably wasn't as bad as it should have been. Still fucking hurt though. I saw that the blob was all but upon me.

NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD-

"Thanks for the meal~"

Those fucking cutsy words that would melt any heart, I don't fucking wanna hear them when you're about to eat me! Think, dammit, think! I conquered a 2nd stage boss for fuck's sake, and now I'm gonna go down to one of the weakest 1st stage bosses!? NO FUCKING THANK YOU!

Her silhouette was finally visible to me as the blob came closer. Yup, there was no mistaking it; it was Rumia. What do I know about her!? Um, um…. She eats humans- YEAH NO FUCKING DER- she controls darkness- ALSO, NO FUCKING DER BRAIN- Ummmm, uhhhhhhh, she has an amulet shaped like a ribbon she can't take off…

Wait, does that mean other people can take it off!? But what will that accomplish!? I don't fucking know, it never covered that shit anywhere in the wiki! But I'm going to die anyways, so fuck it!

She leapt onto me, and I could tell her jaw was wide open. I shifted my weight to the right and felt a sinking sensation in my left shoulder. I didn't even bother thinking about how much damage she just did and reached out for her head with my right hand, grabbing onto the amulet-

AND PULLING IT WITH ALLLL MY STRENGTH-!

…..Huh? It actually came off rather easily?

Just as sudden as when I pulled the ribbon off, the sinking feeling left my shoulder, leaving a numb, pulsating pain. I didn't have time to worry about that, however, what about Rumia!?

I could see her very clearly, her red eyes looking directly into mine with surprise at the sudden action I took, and then, I felt like the my entire vision went black.

* * *

Where… am I?

Everything is pure black, not even a single trace of light around me… and I'm pretty sure my eyes are opened right now. Last thing I remember was that Rumia was about to eat me, but I pulled her amulet off… then nothing.

Speaking of, I looked at my left shoulder and saw her teeth's imprint in them, as well as… alot of blood and… is that…. My bone….?

….

Ha, haha, ha….. O-ok, I mean, I'm still alive after all, and at least my shoulder is still attached to my body. This pain is nothing compared to that… but seriously, where the fuck am I?

" _Human._ "

I turned towards the sound of the voice, and where there should have been no light to help me see, I could clearly make out another person… it looked like Rumia, but she had longer hair, and was a little older than the one, looking around my age and… a little more developed, to put it one way.

" _How were you able to remove my amulet?_ "

"Huh… so you are that Youkai that attacked me?"

I played dumb.

" _Answer my question._ "

"I don't know. I just reached out and pulled and it… well, just came off."

That was the truth. I still had no idea what I had just done, so… yeah. Rumia(?) narrowed her eyes and floated over to me, digging her fingers intO MY FUCKING OPEN WOUND ASHDFGJADAUKHQLWNKEFJAWSJFHJS! #

"OW, I'M TELLING THE FUCKING TRUTH, WHY WOULD I LIE WHEN I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON!?"

She removed her hand, stained with blood, and licked it.

" _Hm… I really can't trust the word's of a human who can touch that amulet, however._ "

"Why's that?"

" _The human who put that amulet on me… I was unable to tell he was lying. Surely those who can touch it are good liars._ "

….Wellllllll, okay.

"Well… I don't even know what I just did. Can you at least believe that?"

Rumia(?) looked at me for a moment, then nodded cautiously.

" _Indeed, if you truly were affiliated with that other human, you would have left the amulet on, even if it meant your life. I will accept that fact._ "

Phew… thank god for that.

"... So can you explain to me what's going on, if you believe me that much?"

" _Hm… I suppose I do owe some gratitude, even if it is to such a lowly creature as yourself._ "

Oh gee, thanks.

" _That amulet was meant to seal away my original form as the god of eternal darkness. My name is the same as that of my lesser form; Rumia. When you removed that, you allowed me to be free once more._ "

"Hm, I see, I see…"

...What sort of chuunibyou delusion is this!? God of eternal darkness? Lol, go back to grade school.

"...So you were actually a god all along?"

" _Yes. Of course, nobody was willing to follow me-_ "

Then you really are a chuunibyou!? God's need faith to manifest in Gensokyo, don't they!?

" _-so I took it upon myself to demonstrate my almighty power on you lesser beings. One human, however, tricked me, saying that the ribbon you hold in your hand was a tribute to me. I foolishly put it on, and have been trapped in my younger form ever since._ "

….Uh…. hm….

"Uh, why'd you put it on?"

Rumia closed her eyes, pondering the point for a while, leaving me gulping from the anticipation of what sort of complex motive she must have had to do such a pointless thing. Then, she finally opened her eyes, and said it with determination.

" _Because it was cute!_ "

" **Are you a moron**!?"

….I mean, it's still Rumia, even if it is older Rumia, I guess. ...Oh, I guess I spoke that last statement out loud didn't I? ...Yup, Rumia's red eyes are wide, and now they are narrowing as her mouth is becoming crooked, a vein popping up on her forehead.

Yeah, she's mad.

" _Wh-wh-WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MORON, MORON!?_ "

And all of that high-and-mighty presence she had is starting to fade away.

"I don't see anyone else, here, M-O-R-O-N! I mean, why would you trust the words of the people you were tormenting!?"

" _Th-that's…_ "

"Not only that, but you thought that people would worship you if you caused them trouble!? Who else but a moron would think that way!?"

"Gh… uguuuu….!"

Ah, her face is bright red now.

"Yes, I'm a moron, so what! All of you humans are ten times more moronic than I am, I'll have you know! You… you… stupid idiot!"

Her voice is more cutesy and less mature than before now. I guess this is her true form's…. Well, true form. But still, this is actually quite amusing. It's almost worth the fact that I almost died, just to see this.

But yeah, I guess I can see why her original form was sealed; if it's really powerful and she has _this_ personality underneath her facade, then that would have been a real headache to the people of Gensokyo. That being said… this is my chance to get out of this situation with my life!

"Ha, whatever. Anyways, what are you going to do now?" I asked Rumia.

"Huh!?" She responded rather hostile-like, her mannerisms almost like a stereotypical punk.

"I've released the seal on you, and personally, I don't want to put it back on. But now that I've done that, what are you going to do? Reimu and Marisa are rather powerful, and unlike the human who sealed you, I don't think they'll let you live if you cause trouble."

"Wh- I'll kill them, of course!"

"You? Ha, I'd love to see you try and beat them! There's no way in a million, zillion years they'll lose to a moron like you!"

"Huh!? What do you know!? I can beat them up as easily as it is to breathe, now that I'm back as the embodiment of eternal darkness!"

"More like eternal DORKness! But if you want to claim that you can beat them, then prove it and beat them in danmaku, then _maybe_ I'll admit you aren't a moron, moron!"

"Grrrrr! Fine! _After_ I beat them up, I'll come back and no matter how much you beg for forgiveness I won't forgive you! You'll be wishing you left that amulet on me!"

"Fine by me!"

"Great!"

"Good luck!"

"I don't need it!"

And with a 'huff' of her chest, Rumia flew off and the light appeared once more around me, all the while a pitch black void was moving in the direction of the Hakurei Shrine. I looked at it for a little while, and then I laughed my ass off.

THAT, was exactly what I needed.

Thank you Rumia, for being such a comedic relief that even your true form brings a smile to my face. Also, thank you for making me bleed so much that my vision is getting woozy….

….Wait, h-huh?

I feel….. *Thump*

….


	5. Mystia I

_Wake up neo, you are… the one._

...Or something like that. I'm currently aware, but my eyes are still closed, as I feel exhausted. But the last thing I remembered was that I had fallen unconscious in the middle of the road after encountering Rumia 2.0. It feels like I'm in a soft bed at the moment, however, and my shoulder feels less painful.

I don't know where I am, but I guess that means I'm safe? So then I can rest a bit more, in that case. It's troubling, but I don't want to overexert myself and possibly make more work for whoever rescued me by reopening my wound.

So for now, goodnight…

* * *

And so my eyes open sometime later. I'm not too sure how long it had been since the last time I was aware, but I feel much less tired now. I take care not to move my body in case of agitating my injury, and move my head cautiously.

It looks like a rather plain room. Nothing sticks out to me except for the curled up figure beside my bed.

"Kyouko."

I call out to her and her soft tufts of ears perked up along with her head as she snapped her attention to me immediately. Surprise turned into relief as she hastily sat up.

"Master! Thank goodness…"

"Where are we?"

"We're at the doctor's clinic back in the human village, his name was Yamada, I think? I took you to him the moment I found you."

I see… so Kyouko found me.

"How long has it been since then?"

"A week."

"Ah, I see, I see."

…

…

….

Um.

Wait, what?

"Kyouko, did you just say that I've been out for a week?"

"Yes master."

An entire week!? I mean, sure I faced a life-threatening situation, but all I had a was a shoulder injury! Surely that wasn't enough to make me rest for an entire damn week, is it!? ...Well, Gensokyo doesn't have the advancements in medicine that the outside world does (Excluding a certain place run by people from the moon), so I guess I can accept that?

Speaking of which-

"I didn't need to go to Eientei?"

"No master. I was told that your injury looked worse than it actually was, and that it would heal with enough time and rest. Oh, but you lost a lot of blood, so they had to give you some blood…"

I see, so they have blood transfusions here? That probably means that they have ways of keeping my body nourished in some way as well. Anyways, I'm grateful since I'm alive. What I need right now though is more information on what's currently happening with everything else.

"How is Yuri… well, her family doing?"

Kyouko looked away from me, as if contemplating something, and I sighed.

"Do I need to command you to tell me?"

Her ears perked up, and she gave me an apologetic frown.

"No master… Yuri's father moved out of their home and… she says she's fine but it's obvious she's not taking it well. And when she learned that you were injured, she looked like she was about to cry."

"Did she visit me?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, she should be coming back any moment now…"

"Coming back…?"

Kyouko looked a bit troubled, but answered.

"She's refused to leave your side. I've only been able to convince her to let me watch over you so that she could take breaks to get food and water."

Yikes. I know that she's worried about me, but I don't think she would have gone to such extremes if her family currently wasn't going through a divorce. She lost her happy family, and almost lost me, who she said she loved, even if that love was warped by how hard she took current events.

Now I'm really worried about Yuri, who was worried about me.

"...Kyouko, do you know how long until I'm able to move around freely again?"

"Another couple of days if you don't exert yourself is what the doctor said."

Okay, so then I can't act upon my plan until then. I need to meet with Byakuren in person and hypnotize her in person for a huge goal to be achieved.

….Wait.

I just need to hypnotize Byakuren for the plan to work, because it doesn't make any sense for anyone else to hypnotize her, right? But as for Mystia-!

The door slip open and I saw Yuri enter, her eyes widening the moment they came in contact with mine. Her hands dropped the food and cask of water, Kyouko rushing over to catch it just in time, and she leapt to my side.

"Master!"

Her brown eyes shimmered and I reached out with my good hand to touch her cheek. She held onto it, like her life depended on it and smiled. It was genuine one, without any of the pain from what was going on in her life at the moment. This one moment appeared to completely make her forget all about her worries.

"Silly, didn't the doctor tell you I'd be fine?"

"I- I know, but…"

Her slender hands gripped mine with all her strength. Her body trembled and made a long, relieved sigh. I made a sigh myself, thinking that my injury truly had the worst timing.

"...I'm sorry for worrying you. I should have taken my own advice and been more careful." I said that apology and stroked her cheek. She shook her head slightly, and some tears made their way down her cheeks.

"No, I'm just glad that you're okay. If anything ever happened to you now… I don't know what I would do."

I didn't say anything in response to that. Instead, I just left my hand where it was for a long while, even as it became numb. I'm not the most patient person, even when it comes to others sorrow, but I figured I'd at least try for Yuri.

Yuri let my hand go rather abruptly, however, confusing me. She looked a little guilty.

"Master… Thank you for that, but I'm fine now. Did you want to say something?"

Yuri, what the heck? Are you some kind of mind-reader? It's true, I got an idea regarding how to proceed with Mystia, _even if I'm resting here_. But I hadn't let that show on my face at all, did I?

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just seeing you awake was all I needed right now."

Hm… if she says so.

"Well, it… kind of has to do with Mystia…"

I studied Yuri's expression in regards to what I was thinking, but she didn't react negatively at all to my mention of continuing the plan, which surprised me. I guess she really meant what she said when she was talking about loving me, even if I made everyone else my slaves.

...No, that wasn't quite right; She said that if everyone was my sex slaves, then she would be the only one who could truly love me, or something to that effect. I guess that meant she would help me with the plan… Was that alright? I mean… No, I already resolved myself. Right, right…

"I'm stuck here for the time being, so I want Kyouko to hypnotize Mystia for me."

A silence came over the room, then Kyouko looked at me with a blank expression.

"Eh!?"

* * *

(From Mystia's pov)

I pick the string with my tough nails, a low sound reverberating through a small area. It's still a little too high, so I tune it again and play the same note. ...Perfect. Now I'm ready to rock…

"...If Kyouko wasn't late again!"

I scream that out, perhaps as a warm-up to the concert, and slam my guitars body onto the guitar stand next to me. What was up with her!? First she disappears for two days without telling me anything, and then she starts showing up late without explaining anything, saying sorry over and over again, but not answering any of my questions.

I'm worried about her because I'm her friend, but if she isn't going to tell me anything, then maybe I'm the only one who actually thinks we're friends? ...No, that's going too far. I sigh and sit back down, putting my chin into my hand.

If anything's happened, I want to know. I feel like I at least deserve that much from her, so that's why I'm so frustrated right now.

The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching made me turn to the door as it opened.

"S-sorry I'm late again!"

She hadn't even taken the time to change into her outfit for our performances, and I sighed again. I mean, all I can do sigh at this.

"Kyouko-"

"Sorry Mystia, I promise to tell you everything after we're finished, alright?"

"...Eh?"

I looked at Kyouko's face, suddenly a little less troubled. She really did plan on telling me what was going on. I couldn't help myself from smiling at that, and got right back up.

"Okay! Hurry and get changed so we can do this!"

Kyouko nodded and stripped immediately. We didn't have to be worried about anyone seeing us here, in the backstage room.

This entire 'arena' was makeshift and crudely made, but it was able to withstand the loud music we were able to make with our voices and instruments. I was a little skeptical when the fairies who enjoyed our music said they were going to make it, but then I remembered that fairies had some homes that were seemingly as sturdy as mansions. It was one of their redeeming qualities. That combined with some knowledge on how outdoor concerts worked from a certain book and we had our stage.

Kyouko got her black dress and put on the shades near her bass guitar, which she also grabbed. She nodded again, and headed to the stage, where I followed.

* * *

After a "thank you for coming" and coming backstage, I flopped onto the wooden chair I had occupied previously, a satisfying exhaustion coming over me. I think I put much more effort into it tonight when Kyouko said she would talk to me, so I was a little overexcited. Kyouko also seemed to be happily tired, as though she were putting a lot of weight off of her shoulders.

I drank some water from a cask I carried from onstage, finishing off it's contents which had been slowly drained during the proceedings, and gave a satisfied sigh. I think I may have broken a record for sighs tonight.

"Okay, so I don't want to be too impatient, but-" I started, but Kyouko interrupted me.

"No, no, I understand. Well, I didn't want to say this because I was worried you'd be angry with me, but I needed to say it before it got too serious."

So it's something I would be angry at her for? Was she considering completely dropping playing music with me altogether to practice her religion?

"Well… I've been overexerting myself lately, you know? Normally I skip out on some of my duties to sleep during the day, but even that hasn't been enough. So… Um… This is embarrassing to admit, but I found something to help with that and that certain thing is what made me skip out on those two days. It's also the reason I was late recently."

"What is it?"

It was something she felt I would be angry about, right?

"Hypnotism."

"...Well you don't have to be worried about me being angry at you, because I have no idea what that is."

"Ah, that is… it's not a bad thing, it's just that I'd thought you be angry that I didn't come for two days because of it."

I tilted my head in confusion. Was that really it?

"You just didn't think it was a good excuse for skipping out on two days?"

"Yes… and I was embarrassed to admit that it was the reason I skipped out to begin with."

"Well, what even is hypnotism?"

I guess if it's something silly, I'd be a little angry, but I'd be more relieved if it was nothing serious. Kyouko looked shocked when I asked the question, however. Is it common knowledge or something?

"Eh? You don't know what hypnotism is?"

"Would I ask if I knew?"

"No… I guess not, sorry. Well, um… It's really hard to explain, but I guess the best way to describe it is that… It's a method of relaxing? It's something that one can only understand through experiencing it."

"That… doesn't help me understand it any better."

"Well then why don't we try some hypnotism right now? I mean, if you don't mind."

Hm? Kyouko looks rather excited for some reason; her tail is wagging rather furiously, even though she should be just as tired as I am. Is it really something to get worked up about, or is she just passionate about it?

"...Why not? I need to unwind after screaming my heart out anyways."

I'll admit that I was a little curious about it, if only because I wanted to know what she was doing. Seeing her get excited about it might have helped as well. Kyouko looked as though she had sparkles in her eyes when I agreed to it, and a sigh of relief seemed to exhale from her mouth as well, although I'm not sure why…

Kyouko then looked around the room for something before resting her eyes on a pillow and grabbed it, passing it over to me. "Here, use this to get more comfortable."

I normally didn't use pillows when sitting on the hard wooden chairs, but since I was deciding to try whatever this hypnotism was, I humored her and placed it underneath my butt. The pillow was rather fluffy and soft, and it cushioned the normally flat surface of my seat.

It wasn't that I disliked it, it's just that I didn't feel like relaxing when I was about to perform. Since I didn't have to worry about that right now, it was a nice feeling. Kyouko pulled her seat up in front of mine, and had a giddy expression on her face as her tail continued to wag.

"The first step is to get as comfortable as possible, so find a position that you can settle into."

I was already comfy enough, wasn't I? Well, I leaned back into my seat regardless and stretched out my wings and legs- Ooooh, that feels great~! I should try stretching out like this more often.

"Yes, just like that. And the next step is to listen to my words and follow my instructions… That's it."

"That's it?" So it was something you could do by yourself once you were taught it and it just required you to get as comfortable as possible beforehand?

Kyouko made an 'ah' and spoke hesitantly. "I suppose... I should mention that it's similar to meditation, but it's really different, I swear!"

Ehhh? I don't want anything to do with Buddhism… But Kyouko said it's different, so I'll trust her. I didn't think she would do something as underhanded as trick me into joining her religion somehow-

"Ah-choo!"

...And right as I thought that, she sneezed. She isn't really planning on tricking me, is she? Lying isn't something her religion condones, right? I know that much at least. It must've been a funny coincidence. Besides, even if I end up enjoying this, I'm not going to join a religion because of it. It's just who I am and nothing's going to change who I am.

Kyouko blushed as she wiped her nose, embarrassed. "A-anyways, just keep an open mind. I promise it'll feel really good!"

"Okay."

I gave a small nod. If I didn't like it, I just didn't have to do it again, so I was willing to try it out. That's actually the same way of thinking that I applied when I first learned punk music from a human of all things, and I ended up not regretting a moment of it. Kyouko took a deep breath in and her tail and expression calmed down tremendously, almost eerily, and she looked at me with an unreadable expression.

...I'm having a bad feeling, all of a sudden… No, I said I would try it, so I will. If she tells me to do anything crazy, then I can just refuse anyways, so it's no big deal.

"I want you to start by taking a slow, deep breath in through your nose…"

I did just that.

"...And now, through your mouth, slowly let it out."

And that as well. I knew meditating also used deep breathing, so that must have been where the similarities were.

"Take another deep breath in through your nose…. And again, slowly let it out through your mouth, allowing yourself to just slow down, more and more."

Slow… down?

"In… and out… In… and… out…"

Hmm….It does…. Feel like I'm…. getting…. Slower…..

"And now, the next time you breathe in, I want you to imagine that you're building all of your day's stresses and worries and gathering them up. And on the next breath out, I want you to breatheee, it all out, allowing yourself to relax even more."

Imagine? ...Okay.

"In…."

Hrgh…

"And now, out…"

Haaaaaaaaaaah….. Ooohhhh…..

"That's right, let yourself let go of all of your stresses, worries and cares. Just relax, more and more now, with each deep, slow breath in…. And out…. In… and out…."

Mmmm… That's….. Incredible…

"In… and out… in….. And out….. More and more relaxed… listening to my words and instructions, more and more… allowing yourself to just let go completely to this feeling of relaxation… eyelids becoming more and more heavy, the more you relax… and it's also getting harder to think, the more you relax… and it feel's so good to just relax….."

….Good…?

"Taking those slow, deep breaths in…. And out…. And becoming more and more relaxed, feeling better and better. It's just getting so hard to keep your eyes open. Harder and harder to think about anything, but this wonderful feeling…."

….

…..

…..

" _ **Sleep.**_ "

* * *

"-Mzzt?"

I blinked as I lazily rubbed my eyes with my hands. I looked around and saw that I was still in the backstage area of the arena, and sighed.

"Must have dozed off…"

That's strange; I normally don't fall asleep backstage, even when I'm completely exhausted. I'm usually able to make it back home regardless, but here I am. I look straight ahead, and I see myself looking back… Huh?

"Oh… it's a mirror."

I haven't seen this mirror before, but I guess it must've been brought in while I was asleep? Did Kyouko want to play a trick on me and startle me with my own reflection? Well, it didn't work.

My hand reached out and the me in the mirror did so as well. I waved my hand, in a rather silly gesture and gave a goofy grin. ...Hm? Why am I doing that?

"Nobody's around… right?"

I asked that, but I'm becoming more and more confused… My expression then becomes concerned.

"H-honestly… what am I doing…?"

I sighed and shook my head. Then, I slowly moved my hands to my skirt…. Eh!?

"I… I feel a little horny, looking at this mirror…"

...Yes. My body is heating up just looking at my reflection. I slowly pull my skirt down, revealing the black underwear that lay underneath to match my outfit. Then, I touch myself over it, slowly and strongly…

"A-ah… Why does it feel so good…?"

Haa… something's… strange about this mirror… but I can't stop touching myself… My free hand goes to my left breast, a small bump noticeable under my clothing. I firmly roll the nipple under my thumb…

"Aaah… hau… haaa~"

It's like I have no control over my body, like all I'm allowed to do is masterbate.

"I-it feels good…~"

My hands slip underneath my clothes and touch my erogenous zones directly, the stimulus leaving me short of breath as I gasp in pleasure. All I'm doing it looking at the mirror… but…..

"M-master…. Master~!"

Those words leave my lips but my mind draws a blank. Master? Who's master? Why would I say that? I don't know, but my reflection won't stop touching, looking so horny and my eyes look so… blank…..

"Ahh… My mind is going blank….."

Some drool was escaping my mouth, and my far-away eyes stared down at my lower body, unable to look away from the wet stain that was forming on my underwear. Of course, I long since felt it before I looked.

"I'm doing… what Master told me to… and it's making me feel so-Hmm~!"

Another strong, pleasured gasp escaped my reflections lips as I stared blankly back at it. It all felt so real, yet there was some sort of dream-like feeling to it all… But I don't think I cared at all. It really did feel good, even if I didn't understand what was going on…

"Obeying master… feels amazing! I'm so wet and horny!"

The red tinge in my reflection along with my panting breath as I slid off my underwear and hastened my movements seemed to increase the pleasure I felt. I didn't know why I started, but when I saw myself like this, I felt really aroused and good… seeing myself like this… Lost in pleasure…. Makes me so horny…

…..

….

….

" _ **Awake**_ "

* * *

"Ah-huh!?" I woke up, startled, seeing a nervous Kyouko looking back at me, her ears drooped.

"So… how was it?" She asked timidly.

I blinked at her as I tried catching my breath…. Ah… huh? Why am I catching my breath…?

Then, the image of the mirror appeared in my head and my face turned bright red. What the hells was that?!

"...Mystia?" Kyouko seemed even more worried now that I had gone silent.

"A-ah, um… What did you do to me?" I asked, unsure of what else to say at that point. My head was in a panic, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"W-well, I just made you relax to the point where you would fall into a type of sleep… it's supposed to let you relive some of your most enjoyable and happiest moments."

Huh?!

Huh, huh, huh!?

'Since when did I masterbate in the backstage area!?', I wanted to yell at her, but that would have been far too embarrassing. Instead, I coughed to clear my throat. "What I experienced wasn't something I remember ever doing."

Kyouko just sighed with relief for some reason and explained, "Oh, that's it? Hypnosis let's you relive things you may have forgotten, but the feelings you had during those moments brings them back to the front of your mind. It can also be used to help someone with amnesia, because of how powerful it is."

What…? But if what I experienced was something I had done before…

"...Hey, Kyouko?"

"Yes?"

"Can you try hypnotizing me again sometime?"

"Ah! So you enjoyed it!" Kyouko looked at me happily, unaware of my internal conflict.

"...Yeah, something like that."

 _If_ that was something I had done before, then I needed to know why I had forgotten about it. More importantly, I looked like I did now, so it must have happened sometime recently… this year at the very least. I doubted I would have forgotten such an embarrassing thing, much less have done anything like what I experienced, but I know Kyouko wouldn't lie to me.

That meant that something or someone made me forget. Magic for that wasn't unheard of, but if hypnosis could bring those memories back, then I can find out what it was they tried to make me forget.

...I blushed as I recalled the masterbation scene. It probably wasn't what the culprit wanted me to forget specifically. I must have just been really out of it at that time and wanted to release some of the stress I had accumulated… yeah, that would explain it.

...But it doesn't explain 'master', does it? ...Wait, maybe it's not unrelated after all? Was the memories that were targeted ones I had of whoever this 'master' was? If that's the case, then who is he? Whoever he was… I clearly was more than a little fond of him. I could feel my cheeks heat up a bit at the thought of what I just experienced.

"Mystia, are you feeling alright?" Kyouko asked naively.

"A-ah, yeah, I'm just feeling a little tired." I laughed nervously, trying to hide how I was feeling. As I did, only then did I notice that my underwear was still damp from earlier.


	6. Mystia II

After the next performance was over, I immediately set up to be hypnotized by Kyouko again.

I was anticipating it… but the main reason wasn't because I wanted to feel good again, it was more that I wanted to understand why I had forgotten these memories in the first place. As long as I kept getting hypnotized, I would eventually remember the reason, as well as who this 'master' was.

...Master… the more I thought of that word, the more my cheeks heated up and my thighs squirmed. I never had any intention of submitting to anyone, but not only did it seem I did in the memories, I also seemed to be taking a sort of… perverse pleasure in it. Was he really that amazing?

"Are you ready?" Kyouko asked me, snapping me out of my deep thoughts.

"Y-yes." I nodded. Whatever my questions were, they would be answered as time went on.

"Good… _**Sleep**_ " *Snap*

….H-...huh?

My eyes blinked and my head blanked out for a moment. I clutched it, a sudden drowsiness assailing my head. I looked up at Kyouko who was calmly staring back… with eyes… that seemed to stare deep into my soul… it sent shivers down my spine.

"Lay back in your seat, relax, and _**sleep**_." *Snap*

The snap of fingers was the last thing I heard before I fell into… what… was it?

* * *

"I'm a good girl for master."

When I became aware again, I saw myself looking back again, this time, wearing nothing, and kneeling on the floor. The eyes I stared back into were blank, empty, wide… nothing inside.

"I'm a good girl for master."

Those eyes scared me. They terrified me.

"I'm a good girl for master."

But the longer I stared into them… the more my mind began to space out… and the more I felt the need to repeat her words.

"I'm a good girl for master.

"I'm…"

The first word out of my mouth, and a tremble emanated deep within myself, a slight resistance against my saying of those words. The fear I had is what kept me from speaking it, but…

"I'm a good girl for master.

"I'm a… good…."

The more my reflection said those words and stared at me… the more I became her.

"I'm a good girl for master."

"I'm a good… girl…"

The fear was melting away, and my eyes soon became as blank and empty as those of my reflection.

"I'm a good girl for master."

"I'm a good girl for master…"

As I finished those words, a surge of pleasure and arousal shot down my nerves to the bundle that was near my most sensitive area...

"Good girls don't think."

"Good girls don't think…"

"Good girls obey their master."

"Good girls obey their master…"

"Good girls obey their master without thinking."

"Good girls obey their master without thinking..."

"Good girls get aroused when they obey their master."

"Good girls get aroused when they obey their master..."

"Good girls love to obey their master."

"Good girls love to obey their master.."

"Good girls love their master."

"Good girls love their master.."

"Good girls love being good girls for their master."

"Good girls love being good girls for their master."

" **I am you** "

""I'm a good girl for master.""

""Good girls don't think.""

""Good girls obey their master.""

""Good girls obey their master without thinking.""

""Good girls get aroused when they obey their master.""

""Good girls love to obey their master.""

""Good girls love their master.""

""Good girls love being good girls for their master.""

I'm a good girl for master. Good girls don't think. Good girls obey their master. Good girls obey their master without thinking. Good girls get aroused when they obey their master. Good girls love to obey their master. Good girls love their master. Good girls love being good girls for their master…

" **Awake** " *Snap*

* * *

I jumped up out of my seat, panting heavily as I clutched my heart, lungs heavy from the air I exhaled and inhaled. My entire body was sweating under my clothes, and I could feel something mixed in with the sweat, dripping onto my thighs.

Just what on earth was that!? I folded up my wings even more tightly as I wrapped them around my body, as if to cover my shame.

"M-mystia!? Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer her. My lips were trembling as I touched myself 'there', with my wings covering the actions. It was… so wet… and it felt really, really good… But I was scared. It was scary.

But I never felt better in my entire life. The pleasure then consumed me as I endlessly repeated those words in my head, on and on and on and on…

"Mystia…?"

Kyouko spoke in a worried tone and I snapped out of my daze. "A-ah… it was a little bit much today."

"Much…? What do you mean?" Kyouko's ears perked up a bit, seemingly unaware of my current state. I guess whenever she was under hypnosis, she never relived memories that were erotic in nature?

"...It's nothing. ...Um… we're going to do the same thing tomorrow, right…?" I asked, looking away in shame as I realized my wings were still folded around my body. There was no way that Kyouko hadn't noticed something was strange-

"Yes, of course. It's no problem at all." Kyouko said that without any suspicion in her voice, which surprised me. I hastily made sure I was somewhat presentable and unfurled my wings as I looked at her with curious eyes. She had an unassuming expression and looked actually pleased.

...As long as she didn't notice.

"Oh, but before you go home…" Kyouko spoke up as I began to move the chair I sat on back into it's original spot.

"Hm?"

" _ **Sleep**_ "

….

* * *

"-"

….

" _ **Awake**_ "

* * *

"Eh?" I blinked a bit a Kyouko, who smiled at me.

"Well then, see you tomorrow then~" She said cheerfully, her tail wagging for some reason.

"...Yeah… see you tomorrow." I felt a little odd, like something strange had just occurred, but I just assumed that it was lingering aftereffects of what I had just experienced in trance.

* * *

It started off as a little, tiny feeling of arousal. I first noticed it when I was flying back home, and upon realizing it, my mind wandered to thoughts of what I experienced in trance. That led to me getting more aroused as I thought more and more about what it was that turned me on in that experience.

By the time I got home, I threw off my clothes and ran to the nearest mirror I could find, my body trembling with excitement I didn't fully understand. Then, when I stood in front of that mirror, looking at my body…

My disheveled pink hair.

My wide, grey eyes.

Agape mouth.

Small breasts adorned with two, tiny nipples sticking out for attention.

Slender figure and outstretched wings covered in sweat.

Womanhood dripping.

This… I understood. I think I finally understood. Looking at my reflection outside of the memories here and now. What was staring back at me _**was who I truly was.**_ What stared back was… someone who was _**owned**_. I… belonged to master…

"I'm a good girl for master."

Ahhh….

"Good girls don't think."

It feels… so good…

"Good girls obey their master."

A surge of pleasure.

"Good girls obey their master without thinking."

Satisfaction of the greatest kind.

"Good girls get aroused when they obey their master."

That feeling which has been building within me…

"Good girls love to obey their master."

It's growing stronger, consuming me completely now.

"Good girls love their master."

I was… owned. Completely and utterly by master.

"Good girls love being good girls for their master."

Master…. Master…. Master!

...My reflection blinked along with me as I finally became aware of my actions. I looked down at my hands, which were playing with my left nipple and my womanhood. I was rubbing myself mindlessly for the past… how long had it been?

But… I didn't climax. ...Why?

I stared back at myself for answers, who stared back with dilated eyes. More sweat had accumulated and was running down my slight curves and the tips of my wings. My cheeks were red and my body felt hot…

...Master… who… who are you?

My eyes widened with realization as a new phrase came to mind.

"Master didn't give me permission to cum."

...Ohhh…. Fuckkkkkk….

I… just thought of a vulgar word that I never usually used. But it was entirely acurate for how I was feeling at that moment.

I was a good girl for master, so I needed to wait for his permission before I came. That should have frustrated me, but I found my spine crawling with a sharp pleasure unlike anything I had felt before. I… enjoyed being master's good girl.

...I… needed to remember who master was. I _want_ master… I _**need**_ master!

* * *

My body felt sluggish and I had trouble keeping my eyes open. I hadn't been able to sleep at all last night. The identity of master had been eluding my memories and it frustrated me to no end. I wanted to be a good girl for him… I needed to be a good girl for him… but how can I when I don't even remember who he is!?

I leapt up and kicked the chair, making it crash into the wall of the backstage. I was unstable. How could I act so differently from how I did a few days ago? Simple; Master was someone important to me. He was so very important, so very precious to me. My feelings for him were unraveled at a rapid pace the moment I was first hypnotized, and it had driven me into a frenzy.

That's why I was so irritable, because I forgot someone so special to me. Not to mention the fact that I became aware of a fetish I never knew I had. And just the thought of it left me feeling really, really good...

"Mystia, is everything okay!?" Kyouko came rushing in the room. She must have heard me kick the chair from outside.

I turned to face her with a frown. I don't think I could hide how I was feeling any longer. Everything was just becoming too much. "No, not really."

"What's the matter?" Kyouko looked at me with worry in her eyes. I didn't want her to look at me like that… so I told her.

How I started experiencing things I didn't remember.

How I had forgotten someone important to me but I wasn't sure who.

Of course, I left out the parts where I was masturbating as well as what exactly I was doing in said memories, but I gave her the general idea apart from that. Kyouko blinked at me as I explained and her expression of worry seemed to ease as I did.

"Then there's only one thing we can do." Kyouko said with a warm smile, as though to comfort me, and she slowly raised her finger in front of my face.

"One… thing?" My eyes locked onto the finger instantly.

"You need to be hypnotized more and more, of course!"

"I need to be hypnotized, more and more…" I said those words without hesitation, nor without thinking, my entire focus completely on the finger.

I didn't find it strange that all the worries I had before had vanished without a trace, nor that I spoke those words in a quiet monotone. The only thing I was aware of was the tip of Kyouko's finger, the relaxed feeling in my body, and soon, nothing.

* * *

(Two days ago from Steven's perspective)

"I can't, I don't even know how to hypnotize someone!"

Kyouko exclaimed that with a shaking head. It was true that she hadn't known anything about hypnosis… heck, that was why I was able to hypnotize her in the first place. Still, she still _had the experience of going into trance from my words_.

"Kyouko, it's actually very easy to hypnotize someone else." I say that and Kyouko's ears perk up.

"Really Master?"

"Really." I nod to the cute Yamabiko, whose eyes focused on me, completely enraptured. ...Well, it was much easier to focus on me since I had hypnotized her, so maybe I was over exaggerating a bit.

Still, I wanted to try something…

"First, kneel in front of me."

Kyouko obeyed and Yuri looked on with curiosity. I turned my head cautiously towards her. "Yuri, can you support me from behind so I don't strain myself?"

"Ah, sure master." Yuri shuffled over behind me and I felt her small breasts press up against my back… of course that wasn't all I focused on. She had pushed her entire body up against my back gently, making sure not to force my body to move suddenly. Yeah, this was what I wanted. Now…

"Now Yuri, put your finger in front of Kyouko's face and move it back and forth. Also, since you're helping me, I forbid you from going into trance."

At the mention of trance, Kyouko and Yuri stiffened, anticipation suddenly settled into the room's atmosphere. Yuri obeyed and did as she was told, and Kyouko, without being told to, studied the finger closely, and a glassy film was already starting going over her eyes. She responded really well to hypnosis, maybe even better than Yuri.

"That's right, watch Yuri's finger move back and forth... Good girl." Kyouko was already down in trance. Even with her eyes open, it was easy to tell simple from how relaxed her expression was. I was appreciative of how easy it was to hypnotize her now that she already had the experience, but it still felt like she responded a little too easily. I had only hypnotized her once, after all, so I guess that meant that her affinity for it was really high? Putting that aside… "Now I want you to focus on what you are feeling right now. Describe it out loud."

Kyouko, her eyes following Yuri's finger lazily, spoke from her already agape mouth. "Warm… fuzzy… relaxed…"

"Good girl. There's nothing that quite feels like trance, is there?"

"No master…"

"Good girl. Trance feels really good, doesn't it?"

"Yes master."

"And you know why it feels really good, don't you?"

Kyouko's mouth closed and her face seemed to scrunch up slightly. She was uncertain.

"You don't have to give me a long answer, just a yes or no." I said.

After a long pause, blankly looking at Yuri's finger, Kyouko answered. "...Yes master."

"Good girl. If you know why, then you already know _how_. I want you to remember this small trance as I wake you up on the count of three… one, two, and three, wide awake, up up up." I spoke those words and clapped, careful not to open my wounds back up. When I did, Yuri put her finger down without me telling her to do so, and Kyouko blinked at me with uncertainty.

"Um… I do, master?"

"Yes you do. You may not understand in this exact moment, but as long as you know why it feels good, that's all you need. You're already qualified to hypnotize someone else."

"R-really!?" Kyouko's eyes seemed to light up and her tail wagged slightly. She was so excited, she had forgotten to call me master and I laughed at how cute she was acting.

"Really. Don't you feel like you could hypnotize someone right now?" I continued to experiment with her further, throwing out that question to see where it led.

"...Now that you mention it, I think I can!" Kyouko nodded with confidence in response to my question and I couldn't help but grin.

The idea I had was that if Kyouko's mind, subconsciously or consciously, recognized that, at it's core, hypnosis was simply making the subject really relaxed to a point where they could accept suggestions, then she could simply make sense of how I hypnotized her the first time. Generally speaking, simply explaining it would have been more reliable, but this way was more interesting and gave me a chance to see how Kyouko's mind worked. In the best case scenario, she would replicate my style of hypnotizing someone. In the worst case, she would be frustrated and confused as to why it wasn't working.

I wouldn't simply send her out to hypnotize Mystia with that second outcome in my mind, so the best thing to do now was to test it out.

"Yuri, I want you to lay me back down." After a quick 'yes master' she did so and I gave another command. "Now Kyouko, try hypnotizing Yuri."

"...Eh?" This order came for a surprise to Yuri, but she straightened up in front of Kyouko once she realized hypnosis would soon follow. I couldn't see Kyouko very well from lying down straight on my back, but Yuri's face and expression were in my view. I could also hear Kyouko's voice, so these circumstances were favorable.

"Yes master! …."

Kyouko's silence and Yuri's fading expression of the expectation she once had soon worried me. I guess it was a little bit too much of wishful thinking, huh? Sighing, I was about to call it off when Kyouko spoke again.

"Oh, come to think of it, you lived with master before I met him didn't you?"

Where on earth did that come from? Yuri looked surprised as well. This had nothing to do with seeing if Kyouko could hypnotize someone, so the question came out of nowhere.

"W-well, yes. My family was kind enough to let master into our home, since he had nowhere to go once he came from the outside." Yuri answered the question regardless of its suddenness.

"Ahh, I see. So you knew him for longer than me, huh? That sounds nice~ Not only that, but you got to hear the sound of his voice each and every day too, didn't you?"

Ah, now we've gone completely off topic. Well, I guess I can let them talk for a little while.

"Uh, yeah… I did." Yuri looked a little bewildered still, but she seemed to have recovered from her initial surprise for the most part.

"Wow~ Did you get to be alone with him a lot?"

"Yeah, I did…"

"So you got to be alone with master, and hear the sound of his voice each and every single day?"

"Yes…?"

"It's such a nice, relaxing voice too~ It must feel nice and relaxing simply to think about it, huh?"

"...Yeah…"

Wait… no, there's no way.

"Wow, that sounds amazing~ You're feeling nice and relaxed simply by remembering master's nice and relaxing voice?"

"...Yes…"

No, no, no, she couldn't be doing such a seamless transition on the very first try, could she!? But I'm seeing Yuri's eyes becoming dilated right before me!

"I'm jealous that you get to feel good simply from remembering the sound of master's voice~ You can probably go into trance easily simply by thinking it, can't you?"

"Yes..."

There was no more uncertainty in Yuri's eyes as her expression became completely blank. I… couldn't believe it. I mean, sure, Yuri is probably easy to hypnotize when you take advantage of the fact that she responds well to me, but for Kyouko to come up with that the next day after she was first introduced to hypnosis? Of course, such unconventionality wouldn't work on Mystia, who had no relation to me whatsoever, but I was still impressed. The real Kyouko in Gensokyo must have been secretly sly as well.

Just as I was thinking this, I had missed out on some of Kyouko's words. I turned my attention back to the hypnosis currently occurring.

"- so, why don't you listen to the sound of my voice instead? It's so very hard to think about anything right now, even master's voice, so why not make it easier?"

"Okay."

"That's a good girl~ You don't need to think about anything… and whenever I touch you, you become even more relaxed." Before my mind could think of what was just said, Kyouko had already moved over to where Yuri was and I saw her enter my field of vision. She reached out and began petting Yuri, who let out a 'Aah~' in a blissful sigh.

Holy fuck.

D-did I just stumble upon a high potential hypnotist through circumstance in the early game!? Is my luck stat maxed out already!? Kyouko's dark-brown eyes were very narrow with a superior gaze, her smile also very domineering. I might have imagined it, but I think I saw Yuri's body tremble once her eyes looked back at Kyouko's expression.

"Very good girl~ Doesn't it feel nice to listen to the sound of voice?"

"Y-yes…"

"Master's is deep and soothing, but mine is good too; soft and charming, like a soft melody leading you deeper into relaxing trance. You want to listen to my voice more and more..."

Has she really never heard of hypnosis before yesterday!? I'm finding it _**very**_ hard to believe. But if she's at this level already, then all I need to do is see if she know's how to deal with people that aren't familiar with the feelings of trance, like a newcomer (which is Mystia, in this case).

Putting it in simple terms, Yuri can go into trance with more creative methods because she has been hypnotized before. Mystia, having never experienced it, will need to be treated differently, since her mind isn't accustomed to trance so it needs to experience a more "introductory" trance, so to speak.

My eyes had wandered to the ceiling as I became lost in thought again, and I turned back to see-

"Ahn… K-Kyou-chan…"

"Shh, just enjoy these feelings… Good girl~"

-Kyouko's hands had moved from petting Yuri, to touching her breasts underneath her clothes. It was then that common sense rang out in my head.

"Stop that, we're in a hospital!"

I exclaimed that hastily, realizing I was louder than Kyouko and Yuri, and shut my mouth as Yuri snapped out of it. Still being groped by Kyouko, the brief moment of confusion Yuri had followed by her face turning as red as a cherry brought a huge grin (and tail wag) to Kyouko… and me.

* * *

"So I need to do something similar to how you hypnotized me the first time master? I can do that." Kyouko nodded after I mentioned how she should approach hypnotizing Mystia.

"You remember what I did?" I distinctly recall telling her to forget what happened in trance.

"Hm? ...Nope, but I just know how to do it." Kyouko said confidently.

If that's true, then her subconscious mind must be really strong. To go against common limitations and not only pick up on how to hypnotize people effectively, but influence her ability to do so while she's still conscious without any training, not to mention identifying the importance of how I hypnotized her the first time, is a little scary. Did Koishi skip along and influence Kyouko's mind in some way without my knowledge?

...Wait, Kyouko is a yōkai, right? Does that have something to do with it? Maybe I should consider trying something similar with other yōkai I hypnotize sometime. But in the meantime…

"I want you to try that method on Yuri, just as a warmup. Treat her like you would Mystia."

* * *

One trance later, I was certain Kyouko could pull it off. That just left what we needed to do to make Mystia my sex slave. I had came up with a couple of ideas, but the one I came up with was an option that left some flexibility for Kyouko on how to proceed based on how well Mystia took the suggestions.

"Why don't you bring her into a deep trance, and give her the suggestion that 'You are my reflection. Every move I make, you make'? You can test it to see how readily she will take your suggestions."

"Ooo, that's a good one, master! Do you want me to do anything else?"

"Hm… Well, if she's taking your suggestions well, we need to start giving her the idea that I am her master, but she doesn't even know me… not to mention the fact that I can't move and I doubt bringing her here would be easy, even if she was hypnotized." It seemed like too much of a pain to have her walk all the way over here hypnotized, and if something wrong happened, like if she were to snap out of it for some odd reason, then she might have her guard up for any future attempts.

Kyouko, Yuri and I thought about it for a while. I wracked my mind for ideas and came upon a mind control story I once read where a girl was kidnapped and thrown into a room. Her captors left sex toys and did all sorts of things, such as play audio with reinforcements like "I am a good girl for master" and feed her mind altering drugs (which I obviously don't have). The main idea is, she eventually started pleasuring herself for a master she didn't know the identity of. The problem is, this took a long time since it was a process of breaking down her very will.

Of course, elements of hypnosis were there, but the story never used the full potential of hypnosis. With hypnosis, can I do something similar? ...Depending on how well Mystia takes suggestions, we can alter her memory- ah, that's it!

"What if we make her believe that she had a master, but something is keeping her from remembering who it is?" This was the answer I came up with. Mystia remembers being pleasured by someone, her master, but she is unable to remember who it is. That's a much more reasonable solution, as it skips the process of "training" her, so she won't even think of resisting, since she's already "lost" her will.

This might make her a more complete sex slave than either Yuri or Kyouko as well, since she won't understand what it means to disobey me, her master, if all she has are extremely pleasurable memories of being my sex slave. With only those memories, she will mold herself in such a way that when those feelings are finally attached to me, she'll be completely wrapped around my finger.

I gave Yuri and Kyouko a summarized version of these thoughts.

"Wow master, you're amazing~!" Kyouko smiled cheerfully, her tail wagging- I could see her in my field of vision along with Yuri at the moment- and tilted her head cutely to the side.

It was clearly over exaggerated, but I didn't mind. That just left the suggestions Kyouko would need to use on Mystia to make her believe such a thing. I decided to build on the whole reflection idea.

"Maybe instead of Mystia believing that she's your reflection, maybe you should make her believe that you're her reflection? If you do something like touch yourself openly while verbally mentioning 'master' and how serving him makes you feel, Mystia, who thinks it's her reflection, will think that's what she truly believes." I said.

Kyouko, instead of praising me, thought about it for a second this time. "But how do we explain to her that she's 'forgotten' master…?" Then, her ears perked up and she said, "Oo, what if I explain that hypnosis is actually a method to relieve your happiest memories?"

Wow, Kyouko's a natural. True, if Kyouko has Mystia play simon says with her for a bit, she'll wonder just why she was acting that way all of a sudden, even if her head comes up with "I've forgotten this person, who's my master". Saying that hypnosis was like this tied things up rather neatly, and Mystia's mind would fill in the rest of the plot holes.

"That's a really good idea. I guess I can leave what you do to her aside from that up to your discretion." It was a little nerve wracking to leave it up to someone else, but Kyouko had shown me nothing but good things so far. I felt like I could leave it up to her.

Kyouko's eyes widened in surprise, but then she composed herself and puffed out her chest cutely. "Leave it to me, master!" She definitely had the confidence to pull it off, but I still felt the need to say something else.

"Hm, if you want any advice or have any questions in regards to hypnosis, you can ask me before you go. Is there a limit to how long you can visit patients here?"

Yuri answered me very quickly. "Yes, but that's not for a few hours from now." I guess she would know, considering she wanted to visit me for as long as possible.

"Hm, and when do you usually go and see Mystia, Kyouko?"

"We normally meet a short while after the clinic closes. I've been meeting up with her after visiting you master, but she's been getting sick of me coming to her late…" Kyouko's expression looked guilty.

"You gave her no explanation?"

"No master."

I guess she couldn't explain the situation easily to Mystia. 'Hey, I've become a sex slave of master's and he immediately suffered a life-threatening injury. Sorry I'm always late…' Yeah, that doesn't seem like a good idea. But could we come up with an excuse for her constant lateness?

"...You're always coming late without explanation because you're taking time to try hypnosis, this wonderful method of reliving memories, and you're just too embarrassed to admit that you've been late for selfish reasons." I suggested that and Kyouko seemed to still be feeling guilty for lying to Mystia, when I reminded her that Mystia would soon be able to feel all these wonderful things that Kyouko had the pleasure of having. Why should she feel guilty for making her friend feel real good? At least, that's the idea I gave her.

With that, the plan was set. Kyouko spent the rest of her time with me asking for advice on hypnosis, and questions whenever she had an idea or came up with an example to better understand my advice. She was basically at my level, as far as I could tell, which was both exciting and worrying. Once I'm feeling better, I should hypnotize her to the point of complete obedience, since I don't want her turning on me with that talent.

The rest of the visit was like that, and when it came time for them to leave, I looked at the ceiling in the dark until a heaviness assaulted my eyelids and sleep came over me.


	7. Mystia III

(Mystia. 4th day since introduced to hypnosis)

" _ **Awake**_ "

"Mmurgh-?" I blink my eyes open, a haziness assaulting my mind. It's like that one feeling you get right before you fall asleep, where you just fade away. I've never really made a note of that feeling before, but I think I like it. It was then that I realized a long line of drool had made it's way from my mouth to my dress and I hastily wiped it off, flustered.

Kyouko laughed, furthering the feeling of embarrassment growing from my chest. I then remembered what I had just experienced and covered myself up with my wings. Kyouko's laughter only became louder and my cheeks became redder.

Since I explained what I was going through in hypnosis yesterday, the time Kyouko's been 'hypnotizing' me, so she puts it, has increased. With that, it became impossible to hide exactly what types of emotions I've been feeling during each and every time I relieved a memory, especially since the memories I went through right after explaining my situation were… increasingly more intense than the one before. So she found out rather easily.

"I uh… I think I need to bring a change of undergarments and... clothes next time." I mumbled that quietly as I tightened the grip my wings had over my hot, sweaty body. I felt the clinging grip of my… juices around vagina and thighs. There was no doubt the inside of my dress had gotten dirty from how much my body was enjoying these times.

"Do you want to stop for today then?" Kyouko asked me, an amused smile on her face. Honestly, when did she become so smug?

"No." I said that almost immediately. "I want to keep going please."

"Hm… but we'll skip the concert at this rate… Is that okay?"

We were at the makeshift stadium a long time before the concert began, as per our agreement to increase my time with hypnosis. We had been at it for a couple hours, so the time we usually played was fast approaching. To make matters worse… I only brought the one outfit. I can't believe I didn't think of bringing a change before but… for some reason, it just… slipped my mind.

But what to do now? It would probably be a good idea to call it off, even if the people that show up would be disappointed… And besides that-

"-I don't want to stop…"

It feels too good… Every time I relieve a memory, my desires grow stronger for master, and while that may be frustrating when I don't know who master is, it makes me feel so good to relieve these memories… and it's getting better and better… I can't stop, I'm addicted to these feelings. It's like a forest that's caught fire; the flames of passion are relentless and are easily engulfing me… it won't be long before I'm completely consumed by these feelings.

And I love that.

This feeling that I can't stop, no matter what I do. That I'm doomed to give in to it. That I'm just master's good girl… I know I'll be nothing more than his plaything, but the strangest thing is… I don't think I'll mind at all.

"...I need to know who master is, Kyouko. So… Let's cancel the concert for tonight."

I don't care about who they are; they can even be a human for all they care. If they can make me feel this way about them, this strong, unquenchable desire for them, then I'm all theirs. That's how far gone I am, and I haven't even remembered everything yet…

Kyouko nodded. "Okay. I'll go tell everyone that you're sick… is that alright?"

"Yeah… thank you."

I made sure Kyouko had left completely before slowly reaching out and touching my wet need. I quietly moaned out 'master' and soon my head went blank. I could only hope that I noticed Kyouko when she returned now, because my mind was only filled with thoughts of master's control over me now.

* * *

(Kyouko. 5th day since first hypnotizing Mystia)

Master told me to begin preparing for when he would come here, since the earliest he would be released is tomorrow. The idea is to make Mystia acknowledge master as… well, master. Right now she has very strong feelings for 'master', but she won't feel anything for master unless I make absolutely sure she recognizes it as him.

Me and master came up with a plan to implant a few key suggestions in her head; One, that when she see's master, she will know it is him without a shadow of doubt, and two, no matter what he looks like, she will be strongly attracted to him. I tried telling master that he's very handsome, but he just shrugged it off and said 'Putting aside my feelings on that, there's no guarantee Mystia will share that opinion. Everyone has their prefered type, after all.'

I really wanted master to have more self-confidence. He's amazing, you know?! You don't just get a yōkai to do your bidding by being a normal human… plus there's how I feel whenever I think about him… ah, master~ Will I get a good reward for making Mystia yours? She's a friend, of course, but who wouldn't want their friend to feel this amazing all the time? It especially doesn't hurt if I get to spend a night with you out of gratitude… Ah, I'm daydreaming.

Anyways, since I can't show Mystia what master looks like yet, I'm just going to focus on the second key suggestion; Making her strongly attracted to whoever master is, no matter what they look like. ...Hehe, I'm actually enjoying this a quite a lot. Seeing Mystia following my movements, taking in my suggestions, her various expressions of arousal and absentmindedness…

I'm a little jealous of how much she appears to be enjoying herself, but there's something exciting about being the one making her feel this way. Master probably feels this way whenever he hypnotizes someone too.

"...and now, I want you to focus on those feelings for master. Those feelings that make you so aroused, so mindlessly obedient and submissive. They are always growing stronger and stronger, aren't they?"

"Yes…" Mystia responded in a quiet monotone, a bit of drool coming from her lips. Master said it was common for that to happen when the subject was really deep in hypnotic trance.

" _ **Good girl**_." I saw Mystia shudder and moan from the trigger word and I smiled. I've only gotten better at this, since master has been teaching me more about hypnosis. I felt I would have made more mistakes had it not been for that, but no such incidents have taken place yet. "These feelings come from the control master has over you. Even thinking about master is enough to get you hot and bothered. You know, without a shadow of a doubt, that whenever you recognize master, no matter how different they look from how you imagine them, you will feel these surge of emotions. You will feel attracted to master physically, mentally, and spiritually. You know this, deep inside your body, mind and soul, and you can never escape from this truth. Master is your one and only, the being who owns you, and you love them no matter how different they are from what you imagined."

Hm… Yes, this seems to be the way to go. I'll try and throw in some suggestions to make her a little more desperate too. In her mind's need to attach these feelings to someone (master), she'll react much more quickly and strongly if she's even needier than before. I originally suppressed her desperation, out of concern for my friend, but I think it'll help in this situation. Master had ordered me to do what I thought would best help out, so taking advantage of that is something I _must_ do.

"Now, your earlier desperation, born from these intense, growing feelings of sexual frustration is beginning to creep back into your mind…"

* * *

(Mystia. 6th day since introduced to hypnosis)

Where are you master? Take me now, I'm all yours...

"Mystia? Are you… okay?" Kyouko's voice resounded in my mind, clear as a whistle. Was her voice always so pretty? I was surprised I was able to hear it over my panting and the lust-addled haze over my mind.

I had spent the entire night-no, not just the night, but the time before coming to the makeshift arena-masturbating. I couldn't cum, however, until master allowed me to.

...Master… Master, where are you…? I need you so badly… Pleassse…

"Earth to Mystia… Can you hear me?" Kyouko's voice again. It was so nice to listen to… and hearing it for some reason just made my body heat up even more.

"Yesss." I responded dizzily.

"...Do you want me to call off the concert today as well?"

"Pleaseeee."

My mind was filled with thoughts of master. Who were they? My owner. I can't wait to meet them again… Hee, hee, hee… and… I want to be toyed with. I want to be so thoroughly owned and controlled that I could no longer think for myself. I want to be with master forever…

...I want to- I _need_ to be fucked so badly, master! Do whatever you want to me! I can't handle this… anymore and I'll lose my mind!

* * *

(Steven. 7th day since waking up.)

"Ahhh, finally! Goodbye hospital!"

I cheered gratefully as I stretched out my arms. It was much longer than a 'few days' but I had finally gotten the ok from the doctor to leave. Do you have any idea how boring it is to be in a room with no electronics or t.v for a week? Granted I hadn't had those things since I came to Gensokyo, but I could at least move around and explore. Not only that, but I had held off on anything sexual for the time I was in the hospital as well, since I was recovering, after all.

But- "Anything goes now!" I cheered once more, and the two accompanying me seemed worried and amused respectively.

"H-hey, don't overexert yourself ma- Steven." Yuri said that, understandably still worried. She was the most shaken up by my injury, especially given the timing of it.

"Oh, you're full of energy, aren't you? ...Any plans for tonight?" Kyouko said those words with a mischievous smile, and her cheeks were a dim red. It was obvious what she had in mind, but I had other plans.

"Yes, actually. I'm going to get a pet bird today, if you don't mind."

No more wasting time. In the grand scheme of things, this was a minor setback, but it was still a setback. There was no telling when that bitch fairy would show up again, telling me to hurry it up. Not to mention that Rumia still was out there without a seal… I wonder why I hadn't heard from her at all? Is it possible she just couldn't find me in the hospital? Oh well, that doesn't matter now.

"Kyouko, I'm counting on you again. Let's get this done so I can move onto the next phase of my plan."

"...Okay master." Kyouko seemed disappointed. I guess she really wanted to do something sexual with me… Hm, it will be a problem if my slaves feel unappreciated or unsatisfied, since they might break free of the suggestions I've given them. I might want to alter her way of thinking on what it means to be my sex slave later.

But for now, time to add a new party member!

* * *

The plan I went over on the way there is as follows: Me and Yuri will be outside until Mystia is deep in hypnotic trance. Then, Kyouko will call us in and proceed to put the final suggestions in Mystia before waking her up where upon the first face she'll see is mine and at that moment, I'll be her one and only master.

Based on what Kyouko described to me, I'm pretty sure there isn't any way this won't work. Mystia has been completely receptive to her suggestions, to the point where it's clearly driving her mad. Admittedly, I would have liked to get to her yesterday to avoid possibly damaging her psyche, but I didn't know the impact of Kyouko's decision to make Mystia desperate until today.

It was better to get this done sooner for her sake as well.

Me and Yuri waited outside for only a few brief moments before Kyouko opened the door.

"Okay, you two can come in now." Kyouko ushered us in a quiet voice. We also agreed that it would only be Kyouko who spoke, just in case the sound of other voices might snap Mystia out of it, as small a chance as that may be. In the end, it was proceeding a little too cautiously, but I didn't have the luxury of making a mistake at such a pivotal moment, you know?

We walked up to Mystia, and I gulped at the sight of her; it was _painfully_ obvious she was aroused. She was panting heavily, her voice was sweet and hot from the moans, and… well, she was naked. I didn't ask Kyouko to make her that way, but I guess she already knew what I planned to do once Mystia recognized me as her master.

Once I had positioned myself in front of Mystia, Kyouko started again. "Now, in a moment, you will finally see your beloved master. The next time you open your eyes, you will know without a shadow of a doubt that it's your master, the one who has absolute control over you." Kyouko's voice became a sweet, soothing one, and I shuddered. Her tone had become much more confident than before, and was much more domineering. I'm glad she was on my side, and, for that matter, didn't know what hypnosis was until I introduced it to her. "You can barely contain your excitement, knowing that when you next open your eyes, you will finally remember who it was who captured your body, mind and soul. Eager to finally see who you will devote yourself to for the rest of your life, the moment you next open your eyes-"

" _ **Found you~~~**_ "

It was at this point that Roundabout by 'Yes' would start playing and a "To be continued" sign would appear, freezing this very moment in time and giving us a week's break to prepare for the shitstorm that was about to hit us in the face. Unfortunately, this isn't a Jojo meme, so what actually happened was once I heard that very familiar voice, my body was flung to the side along with Yuri's and Kyouko's, who was caught off guard. Disorientated and sore-fuck, did I reinjure myself?-I tried to get upright to confirm who had attacked us.

I already had an idea who it was from the voice, but I just didn't want it to be her, not here and _especially_ not now. But there she was, the blond haired, idiot chunni who called herself a dark god or something. The chunni idiot formerly known as the idiot formerly known as Rumia.

Well… _**fuck**_. That's all I could say to this.

How did we not notice her open the door and sneak in behind us? Actually, that's the wrong question. How the fuck am I supposed to salvage this situation? ...Well, play it off and see what happens, I guess?

"Heyyyy, Rumia." I got up gingerly and tried giving the friendliest smile I could manage. "I haven't seen you in, what, a week?"

"Huh? Uh… yes… Anyways, human-!"

"Ah, is that a new dress? It looks good on you!" Rumia was wearing a different outfit from before. It was a black dress, but it also had white streaks here and there. The style was very 'goth loli' and the frills at the bottom were par for the course as far as dresses in Gensokyo went.

"Huh? W-well, the other one wouldn't fit me anymore, so… A-anyways-!"

"Oh, that makes sense! I have to say…" I slowly trailed off as my mind ran out of words. Now normally I considered myself a master of improvisation, but I was still human. That, and my mind went blank when I noticed a few very key details I hadn't right away.

Mystia hadn't been knocked away.

Rumia was where I previously was standing.

And lastly… her previously closed eyes were wide open.

* * *

(Mystia)

Master was in front of me.

Right now.

My breath was shallow and my heart was pounding loudly. The person who owned me in my entirety was right there. I had such a hard time thinking this, but I could _feel_ it. It was unbearable. Then I heard a loud crashing noise all around me and I opened my eyes, startled, looking at the scene in front of me…

Huh?

I blinked, and looked at _her_ closer. Her long, smooth blond hair ran down to her slender shoulders, her red eyes a clear crimson. Her face was very beautiful, even though it looked irritated, and her pink lips looked soft and tempting. Her body was mostly covered by a dress, mainly black with white here and there, but I could tell that she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

My heart thumped louder now.

I knew I had made a grave mistake previously. Master was never a man. After all, master couldn't be anyone other than the goddess in front of me…

"M-Master!" I leapt out at master. I didn't care if I was scolded for hugging her suddenly, I just missed her so much that I couldn't help myself…

* * *

(Steven)

In the moment my mind realized who Mystia recognized master as, I panicked. Even more so than when Rumia was chasing me down, because I had absolutely no idea what to do. At least I had a 'deus ex' in the form of a ribbon that time, but i doubt pulling a ribbon off of someone's hair would undo this.

There was no way I could convince Mystia that her master was me now. Maybe with a ton of hypnosis and brainwashing, but the amount of effort and time that would take to go back on a week of preparation, especially with how well she received it, was a grave problem timewise. Then, things got even worse as I saw Mystia leap for Rumia, saying 'M-master!' in a heated voice.

"What the-?!" Rumia was surprised, no doubt, to see a naked and aroused Mystia hug her out of nowhere. For that matter, why didn't Rumia know she was there? Is it possible our bodies blocked her sight and she just kept her focus on me after knocking us away? Wait, now's not the time for that- This is the worst situation possible. Let's put aside how fucked my plans are and analyze the situation, and quickly.

1\. Mystia recognizes Rumia as her master. As such, she will serve her devotedly.

2\. Rumia seems hostile towards me. Why else would she fling me across the room?

3\. Rumia has no idea why Mystia grabbed hold of her.

Now, if Rumia is hostile towards me and someone suddenly rushed her, wouldn't she assume that she was being attacked for attacking me? But Mystia has no intentions of harming her, nor will she expect to be harmed. If I don't make Rumia realize that Mystia isn't a threat, then she could seriously injure her!

Shouting, "Stop!" wouldn't cover it. I need to be clear and concise with my words when dealing with an idiot like her. Luckily, it seemed she was really taken aback from Mystia's actions, so I might be able to say enough words to convince her not to take any violent actions towards her.

I ran through all of these thoughts in what seemed like a never-ending second.

"She's not your enemy Rumia! As a matter of fact, she will probably worship you from now on!" I knew Rumia thought of herself as a goddess of darkness, so if I grab her attention that way…

There was a brief moment where her eyes flashed violently towards Mystia, but it seems my words reached her in time, as they were replaced with complete confusion. "What? ...You're just trying to trick me!"

"Look at her again, don't you think attacking you is the last thing on her mind right now?!"

Rumia looked at Mystia, who looked up at her with a blissed out expression, her cheeks completely red and smiling widely. "...Uh… Yes, but… why is she naked?"

"Because I'm master's good girl!" Mystia responded quite enthusiastically, panting and drooling. Ugh, I guess I should've known she wouldn't just conveniently stay quiet.

"Master's… good girl?" Rumia was even more confused and bewildered, perhaps-no, with certainty-creeped out from Mystia's behaviour.

...I guess I need to explain everything to her, huh? What a pain… "Alright Rumia, I know you don't completely trust me, but I have an explanation for this if you'll hear it. But for right now all you need to know is that Mystia is completely devoted to you to an almost obsessive degree."

"Mystia..? Oh, her." Rumia looked back to Mystia, still allowing herself to be hugged, but with more apprehension.

"Master… has forgotten me too?" Mystia's eyes and expression looked down, but Rumia frowned.

"Can you stop hugging me?" Rumia asked that sharply, and Mystia almost immediately complied.

"Yes master." Mystia still seemed upset, but the week of preparation wasn't for nothing. She obeyed without thinking about it. At this interaction, Rumia's eyes widened, since she could see all of Mystia now.

"E-eh, are you just a pervert?" Rumia no doubt noticed Mystia's erect nipples and 'wetness'.

"If master wishes it." Mystia is completely wrapped around Rumia's finger even if Rumia isn't aware of it, huh?

I was able to relax a little bit, since Rumia wasn't attacking Mystia, so I looked around the room for Yuri and Kyouko; Yuri was a few steps away from me and appeared to be unharmed, and Kyouko was on the other end of the room, ready to jump in at a moment's notice, but it appears she was waiting since I started talking to Rumia. Then, I turned my attention back to Rumia.

"So Rumia, Mystia will follow any command you give her right now. Can you tell her to stay where she is and we can talk outside? I can't outrun you so there's no way for me to escape from simply a change in location, so can you please agree?" I would explain, but if Mystia heard me as well, there might be problems.

Rumia looked at me with surprise. "Really? Any command?"

"Yup. She'll obey you to the best of her ability, no matter what you ask her to do."

Rumia blinked at me for a while, then she looked at Mystia. "Put on some clothes."

"Yes master." Mystia went and grabbed her clothes, putting them on without hesitation. Rumia still didn't seem convinced, however.

"Hm…" Rumia stood in silent thought for a while, which was a little worrying, since nothing good could come out of an idiot like her thinking for too long. Then she seemed to get an idea and smiled. She raised her finger towards me and stated thus;

"Kill that mortal."

"Yes master."

A blur came right for me, the momentary hesitation I had from comprehending the order was a bane considering Mystia had no hesitation following through on it. I stumbled off to the side where Yuri wasn't, because I knew she would push me out of the way and get hurt if she could. I yelled out anything I could to get her to call Mystia off.

"I can make more people worship you! You don't know w-"

A loud snap of wood was heard as Mystia pinned me to the ground with her inhuman strength, her sharp nails digging into the other shoulder that wasn't wounded, and her other hand of sharp nails heading right for my throat. I couldn't even scream as her nails pressed up against my throat and broke the skin… but they didn't go any deeper than cuts I made while shaving.

This was because a sudden pressure engulfed the two of us, and everywhere was pitch black. It was clear Rumia used her powers in some way. I soon heard her impressed 'ah' enter my ears.

"She was really going to kill you…" Rumia giggled, amused at the fact that I almost fucking died because of her. Stupid bitch! Even if Mystia wasn't going to kill me, I almost died of a heart attack!

"She won't stop trying to kill me unless you order her not to." I said that with haste. I didn't want her to accidentally make Mystia kill me by releasing whatever power she was using.

"...Very well. Mystia, stop trying to kill that mortal."

"Yes master."

Then, the darkness that had engulfed us vanished. Yuri and Kyouko rushed to my side and glared at Rumia upon seeing my other shoulder was wounded. That being said, it wasn't nearly as bad as the previous injury, so I might not have needed to stay at a hospital for a fucking week this time. I took off my shirt and asked Yuri to tie it around the open wound, which she did.

"Alright, I suppose I can play along for a little bit, mortal." Rumia stated this with her high and mighty voice, clearly full of herself again. She knew she had the upper hand in this situation, but it seemed like she had forgotten all about whatever she came here for originally. As much as I was curious, I don't think I'll inquire, since I don't want to risk her changing her mind and try to kill me… and Yuri and Kyouko, by extension.

"...We need to talk outside. Yuri and Kyouko, stay here, and don't protest my decision." I preemptively added the last bit, since I saw the two about to speak against it.

"Hm… Mystia, stay here and make sure these two don't leave. If they do, kill them." Rumia said that, clearly enjoying ordering someone around. But surely Mystia wouldn't agree instantly to that command, would she? Kyouko was her friend, after all-

"Yes master." But Mystia spoke without hesitation. Kyouko seemed shocked as well, but the only reason she would kill a close friend would be if she valued obeying Rumia over her friendship and life. In other words, Kyouko did a little _too_ good of a job when preparing Mystia to be a slave. Well, she had to in order for Mystia to feel this way for another woman when it wasn't her preferred gender for a partner (so Kyouko told me earlier).

Rumia moved a little too happily towards the exit and looked back with a triumphant smile. ...Goddamit all! I followed after her, praying to whatever god that would help that this didn't get even worse.

* * *

I could have lied, but I was unnerved and tense from the previous situation. I didn't want to risk lying while I wasn't confident to pull it off, even if it was this idiot… so I told her everything, including the plan to take over Gensokyo. Not the part about how the world was fake, mind you, but it was still quite a hefty bit of information to impart on a bystander.

"Hmmmm… You can make anyone, human or otherwise, obey you with this 'hypnosis'?" Rumia asked, clearly interested.

"...Yeah. Right before you showed up, we made it so that when Mystia opened her eyes, she would believe that whoever she saw in front of her was her 'master'; someone who she was completely devoted to and owned by. I was planning on doing… unsavoury things to her, which is why she was naked, but you were the first person she saw when she opened her eyes."

"So I became her master by accident… Heehee, take that you arrogant human! The only one anybody should be obeying here is me!" Rumia puffed out her chest and laughed, but my frown only got larger. Gah, this was so humiliating! Because of this chunni's unpredictability, she now thought she was better than me.

"...She wouldn't have even considered obeying you if not for my actions."

Rumia's cheerful mood soured at that. "W-well…"

"Do you think she-no, anyone- would obey or worship you under normal circumstances? It was because of my skill in hypnosis that a complete stranger suddenly became so attached to you." I wanted to make it clear that there was merit in keeping me alive, but I think some of my spite was shown in my words, since they came out harsh.

Rumia got pretty quiet at my statement. Uh… If I make her mad now, it won't be good, so I should apol-

"Mortal… you said you can make anyone obey you, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

Rumia became quiet again and I was lost. I had no idea what on earth was going on in her head, since her actions seemed to have no purpose to them. All I could do was wait for her to speak again.

"...You have one week." When she finally spoke again, a bad feeling crept up on my back.

"One week for… what?" I asked, a little nervous.

"To take over Byakuren's temple. If you don't, then I'll kill you."

Bad feeling confirmed! What the hell?!

"You don't need to pressure me into doing it, I was going to do it anyways! There's no need for a time limit-"

"I need proof that you can do it. If you can make anyone do whatever you want, then surely this should be easy for you?"

"Hypnosis isn't magic! It takes time to-"

" _ **One. Week.**_ Don't push me mortal, or I'll kill that mortal girl as well."

"!?"

What the actual fuck?! Why is it so important that I do this in one week!? Sure, I was going to do it as fast as possible, but I guessed it would take two weeks minimum depending on how long it would take for the temple to contact me. If I was pushed for time, then I needed to take the risk of manipulating them into asking me to show the 'method of relaxation' without them coming up with the idea on their own. If it becomes obvious that we're pushing for them to meet with me, then they'll be much more cautious and it'll be next to impossible to keep things one on one in meetings.

Not to mention the fact that in order to do this I absolutely needed Mystia. Now that it was timed, if she wasn't a part of it, the setback would make it as disastrous as _Berserk's_ 2016 adaptation!

"Okay, fine! But I need Mystia to pull this off. That's the reason why I was going to make her my slave. Can I ask you to give her some orders for me?"

Rumia nodded, surprising me by agreeing rather easily. "I have nothing better to do… I mean, I need to make sure you don't try and run away, mortal!" And in a not so subtle way, tried to hide her sour mood. It's painfully obvious she's hiding something, but I don't have time to focus on that right now.

Of course I could easily escape by getting the temple to protect me; they might not kill Rumia, but they won't idly stand by and let killing happen, I'm certain. But I was more worried about what Rumia was capable of now that she was unsealed. So for now, I'll try and make it for the deadline, and if I know I'll fail, I'll fall back on that option.

"Alright, so I'll tell you in more detail what we did to Mystia too, because… well, you are her master now."

"Hmph, if anything, I should be her goddess!"

"Well… you can make her call you that instead if you wanted."

"...Huh?"

* * *

"Goddess is so smart and beautiful, nobody can even compare to her!"

"Ehe… ehehehe~"

Rumia was smiling like an idiot from ear to ear, snuggling Mystia like a stuffed teddy bear while she offered her earnest praise. Although it was a complete fuck up for us, I guess it worked out well for Rumia, and one couldn't say that slave Mystia and adult Rumia didn't make a good pair after looking at them like this. It was questionable how sexual their relationship would actually turn, but I think it'll be alright.

Yuri was helping me with proper bandages and disinfectant and properly cleaned and wrapped up the wound. Unfortunately, there were no clean shirts around, so I had to walk home without one since I wasn't going to wear the dirty one. At least it was warm outside.

Kyouko then walked back in with an exhausted face. "Uuu… I've told them we were taking a break for a week or so to take care of personal problems. The crowd was very upset, but they seemed worried as well, so I took advantage of that and tried to play it off as something serious… uuu, I feel so guilty."

"You did well." I pet the down Kyouko and looked at Rumia. "They're going to stay here for the time being, so we couldn't have anyone coming here for a time."

"I know…" Kyouko looked a little better, even if her eyes still looked guilty.

"I'll come back in the early morning with Kyouko to pick up Mystia. I'll send Kyouko in first so that I don't intrude on your privacy accidently. Is that okay?" I asked Rumia.

"Hm? Yes, that's fine, mortal. Just remember not to waste too much time."

"I know. ...Come on Kyouko, Yuri. Let's go." I left the building with the two and walked with them all the way to the village. We didn't run into anything serious, thankfully. I didn't want anymore 'surprises' today, or for the rest of the week for that matter.

"I guess… I'll go back to the temple now. Goodbye master, see you in the morning." Kyouko sighed, but then I grabbed hold of her hand, causing her ears and tail to perk up and stiffen in surprise, then I pulled her close to me so that I could whisper in her ear.

I got cock-blocked on Mystia, but I sure as hell am not getting cock-blocked on my own fucking sex slave!

"You're not getting off that easy. Don't you think you did too good of a job brainwashing Mystia?" I pulled Kyouko into a nearby bush and her eyes widened. Yuri just giggled to herself and waved, apparently fine with leaving us alone. Not to mention she didn't want to worry her mother and brother by being out too late.

"Wa-wawa, Master, I-" Kyouko's eyes were darting around the place and her cheeks were crimson red almost immediately.

"You were so good that she didn't even care if it was a girl, huh?" I grabbed onto her ass and she let out a cute yelp, her eyes becoming dilated with desire.

"M-master~" Her tail was wagging hard and her breath became hot. She knew what was going to happen next, and that she was going to enjoy it, but she still managed to play along. "P-please forgive me~"

"No. Accept your punishment." We both knew it was anything but punishment, especially since Kyouko could have pushed me away if she truly tried. I pushed her down and pressed my lips to hers without much resistance, all the while busying my hands with undoing the buttons on her dress.

When I finished exposing her body, I removed my lips for hers, a trail of saliva briefly appearing before I moved to her breasts and began teasing her nipples with my tongue. Kyouko moaned loudly, but I soon couldn't hear even those precious sounds, probably from her power, and I stopped licking her breasts. Kyouko looked at me with confusion, then nervous anticipation when she saw I had moved my mouth over her wet pussy.

"Don't use your power, I want to hear more of your voice…" I had all of these pent up desires, built up from the week, so I was fine with risking someone hearing us. I just didn't want to think about anything for a while.

Kyouko's bright red face was a mixture of arousal and hesitation, but she was smiling. It seemed the idea turned her on, even though she was also aware of the risks. Without confirming that she had stopped using her power, I just went ahead and began licking her wet heat, and soon her sweet, cutesy, high-pitched voice serenaded me with heated gasps and moans. I remembered the feeling of Kyouko and Yuri sucking on my cock, and wondered if it felt as good as that for women when they had their pussies orally pleasured. Kyouko's voice seemed to be a strong indicator that this was the case, and that just turned me on even more.

It gave me more confidence to lose myself completely in sex when my partner was just as horny as me. And, as an extension, if they're that horny, I wondered just how much I could do with them, and my cock just swelled from those ideas.

I couldn't take anymore, and I pulled my mouth from Kyouko's need as I pulled my pants down, revealing my stiffness. Kyouko looked at it with narrowed, dark-brown eyes filled with lust before I lifted up her legs and slipped it inside her wetness.

My cock was sensitive from not being stimulated for a week, and the insides of Kyouko squeezed on me the moment I entered her, sending a shock throughout my body. I became so absentminded from it that I almost forgot how to breathe from the intense sensations, but my body still moved on it's own, thrusting in and out of Kyouko at a rapid pace.

Kyouko's body was a squirming canvas of soft, pale skin, painted by her sweat and highlighted by the dark, green grass she was laying on. The sight of her charm; like a vulnerable, small animal. The scent of her; earthly and natural. The sound of her panting, delirious voice. The lingering taste of her sex on my tongue. The feel of her tender legs on my hands, and wet, hot womanhood around my cock.

All of my focus was on having sex with her, and these senses swirled as I reached my climax. My cum shooting out inside her, and her yelp of womanly satisfaction as she also reached her climax echoing in my head.

I let Kyouko bask in the afterglow of her orgasm, and wondered whether or not she noticed it yet… Ah, her eyes widened, so I guess she did.

"...M-master… you're still hard…"

I then gave a mischievous smile and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I know you've had troubles from staying up too late, but I don't plan on letting you sleep tonight."

I heard a small gasp from her as I started thrusting into her again. This was how I spent the night before I proceeded with the trickiest part of my plan.

* * *

 _ **7 days until Rumia attempts to kill Me and Yuri**_


	8. Shou I

With time being of the essence in this case, me and Kyouko groggily made our way to the makeshift concert arena after our night of… exercise? Sure, let's call it that, although we did end up falling asleep somewhere along the way. Either way, after making certain that it was okay to enter, myself and Kyouko met with Mystia and Rumia.

"Okay, so we need Mystia to practice buddhism for a while, at least to grab Byakuren attention. Then, whe-"

"Huh? Why the hells would I do that?"

A blunt response from Mystia put all of my enthusiasm for the day's events to a screeching halt. I looked at Rumia with judging eyes, upon realizing that she mentioned _nothing_ to Mystia.

"Hey, don't look at goddess that way!" Mystia had taken offense before Rumia did, however, and her attitude towards me was becoming hostile.

Great! Just fucking great! She was going to be far from hostile towards me had my plan worked, but now I see that I'm going to have to go through great pains to even get her to do what I want.

"Rumia, I told you I needed Mystia for the plan."

Mystia was becoming even more irritated with me and my mannerisms towards her 'Goddess', and Rumia looked blankly at me for a brief moment before giving me an arrogant smile.

"Hmmm~? And why would I listen to you?"

"You bi- your expression said that you just forgot!" That blank look from before was clearly the look of someone who didn't remember.

"Geh." Rumia's smile faded as she flinched from my observation. Meanwhile, Mystia looked ready to rip my head off, and stepped in front of Rumia as she glared me down.

" _What_ were you about to call goddess?" If Mystia's tone could kill, I would've fallen dead on the spot- no wait, she can actually kill with her voice, can't she?

With that question, silence came upon the room. Kyouko was ready to jump in if Mystia so much as tried to do anything to me, Rumia was seemingly deep in thought-although I doubt she could think much, considering her character was known for not having the greatest intelligence-, and as for me… I'm just trying to hold back the headache I'm getting from this massive trainwreck happening before my eyes.

Seriously though, fuck Rumia. She's the entire reason Mystia isn't cooperating right now.

"Mystia..."

Rumia broke the silence and addressed her accidental slave.

"...You would do anything for me, correct?"

Mystia's head swiveled around to face Rumia, her expression doing a complete 180 from the hate she was showing me. Now her eyes were filled with nothing but absolute adoration.

"Yes, goddess!"

"Good. Then I need you to go to the temple to practice buddhism faithfully. Also, should those at the temple ask you why you've changed, tell them that you were shown a relaxation method from the outside world from this human. Don't give them any suspicions as to your true motives to obey me, understand?"

I almost missed Mystia's enthusiastic 'yes', because I was too busy standing in shock. Rumia was so precise with the orders that I just couldn't believe that she was the complete idiot I made her out to be a few moments ago. It seemed like she saw my expression, since she raised an eyebrow at me.

"What, mortal? This was the plan you mentioned to me before, was it not?"

"Well… yeah."

It was true that I told her all the details of my plan, as well as gave her the general idea of what we did to Mystia and what I wanted to have her do, I just never expected her to give her the orders correctly after showing that she hadn't done it yet. I mean, if she was incompetent enough to forget, then surely she would have messed them up, right? But she didn't. Was she messing with me?

As though she was reading my thoughts, Rumia spoke. "I did forget, but I can still recall the conversation we had. ...As though I could forget what was said then."

Her voice became quieter at the end and I couldn't quite make out what she said, but whatever. Now Mystia would actually fulfill her role in our plan, so we could proceed. But now that I think of it-

"Mystia, do you know my name?"

"Huh? Why would I know a miserable human's name?" She responded spitefully without even flinching. I should have known.

"They won't believe you learned anything from me if you aren't familiar enough with me to even know my name. Didn't your goddess order you to not raise suspicion? Even if it isn't true, you need to show them that I'm at least someone you trusted enough to try out this relaxation method." I made my point so calmly and precisely that I almost gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done. Not only that, but Mystia finally relented and gave me an expression that wasn't 'hostile' even if it wasn't 'friendly'.

"...Fine. What's your name?"

"Steven."

"Steven. Got it." Mystia repeated it again to make certain, then turned to Rumia, her entire demeanour doing a 180 as she became smitten once more. "I'll do it for you, goddess!"

She was so enthusiastic that even her wings were swaying. Why couldn't she be that way when talking to me? I sighed and turned to Kyouko.

"I just came here to make sure everything was in order before the plan started, so I leave the rest up to you. You're her friend, so you can probably get away with watching her closely. They would understand you being worried over her, since she will be relatively new to the practice."

"Yes master, leave it to me!" Kyouko responded with determination.

See? This is what I wanted out of Mystia. Haa… oh well.

After Kyouko and a reluctant Mystia parted with her 'goddess', I was left alone with Rumia in the makeshift arena's backstage, and I noticed all of the pillows on the floor. There were so many, that they covered enough space for two people to sleep on, and a blanket was tossed to the side.

"You two slept together?"

"Hm? Ah, yes we did."

I was almost certain that it wasn't in the way I was thinking, so I asked, "Literally or figuratively?"

"Fig-! I did no such thing!" Rumia stomped her foot as she looked at me with bright red cheeks. Ahh… so she _did_ know what those words meant. Good for her… although I guess she was technically different from the Rumia I knew cannon-wise, even if her eccentricness was about what I would expect.

"Oh. That's a shame. Mystia would be more than up for it with the way she is, you know? Or do you not like girls in that way?" I felt like teasing her a bit longer, but I didn't want to make her angry. I decided to just talk casually with her, and I was rewarded with her face becoming an even brighter shade of red.

"Th-that's not… I-I don't doubt she would…"

"Hm? So you thought about it?"

No words left her mouth, and her eyes looked at me with a sudden meekness and she slowly nodded, almost as though she were going to cry. What the heck, she did have a cute side after all. It made me want to hug her, but she's still the same bitch that ruined my plans, so…

"Huh. I guess you aren't used to being wanted by people, considering how red your face is right now."

I said that with the intent of poking fun at her more, but in response to my words, her eyes widened, staring at me with shock.

"...What's that look for?"

The moment I asked that, darkness engulfed the entire room, leaving me blind. I was so caught off guard, that I fell back in surprise, landing hard on the floor.

"What the fuck, Rumia? What are you doing-"

" _ **SHUT THE FUCK UP!**_ "

It was like a gunshot. Those words weren't anything I hadn't heard before, especially considering I said them casually in online games. But the screech that hit my ears didn't hide the trembling emotions of rage and sorrow, and it left me stunned with its impact.

To say it was sudden was an understatement. For her to get so emotional over a sentence like that, with absolutely no explanation why… It was irrational and immature.

More than that though, the sudden outburst felt so strikingly familiar that I was surprised with how it resonated with something deep inside of me. But why did it feel so familiar? And why did such a sudden outburst, saying those words I heard many times over, leave me hurting inside?

"... _Just go._ "

The veil of darkness left me, but there was still some pitch black surrounding where Rumia was.

That nagging feeling deep inside of me felt like something was horribly, horribly wrong, and I wanted to stay there, even though I shouldn't have cared at all about this adult version of Rumia. But my confusion and inability to determine what these feelings were and where they came from caused me to leave her. I was scared. Even more scared than when she was trying to kill me. I was terrified that I didn't understand, so I thought, but as I put more and more distance between the two of us, I felt that unknown ache grow in my chest.

Just what was it? There was no way in hell it was love, of course, but… it was something that I couldn't let go of.

* * *

The restlessness in my… heart? Soul? Whatever it was, it made me consider drinking for the first time in a very long while, despite the pressure of whether or not my plan would succeed. As such, I spent the entire day wasting time reading in Yuri's home (my room was still available to me), before going to the bar, or whatever it's called in Gensokyo.

I never was much of a drinker, and the hangovers members of my family had always scared me away from becoming drunk, but for the first time in my life, I actually felt like getting smashed was a good idea. Besides, it wasn't like they would call on me the very next day, would they? Thinking this, I continued my string of bad decisions.

I approached the establishment and even though it was only just starting to become evening, there were quite a few people inside the place. I guess all of Gensokyo's inhabitant's needed to have an alcohol problem of some kind, eh? Either way, I was lucky enough to grab a seat at the front of the bar. I didn't even look for any faces I might have recognized; I just sat down, carrying around the yen that I was given at the start of my stay at Gensokyo by Yuri's family. When the barkeep made his way to me, I tried to think of what drink I wanted.

"I don't want beer… can I get something sweet?" At my request, the barkeep passed me a small glass of something orange colored. I didn't care enough to remember the name and took a sip. It tasted exactly like the color; Orange-y, but it also carried a strong flavor that my body reacted to warmly, as though to say 'Yup, you're drinking alcohol'.

Confident that I could get through this, I leisurely drank it away while looking down at the wooden counter, trying to get my mind off of the seemingly random stresses that plagued me, but to no avail. I was so swept up in my thoughts, that I ignored a sudden fuss that was starting behind my back. Frustrated that I was still thinking of it, I chugged the drink down in one go and clanged it down on the counter before pushing it away with a sigh.

"Can't I get something stronger than that?" I said that, perhaps a bit more irritated than I should have sounded at a man who gave me exactly what I asked for, but I didn't exactly care at that moment. The man seemed to stiffen up at that moment, at the ruckus behind me seemed to get a bit louder as I heard someone walk up to the seat right next to me… Wait, wasn't there someone in the seat next to me earlier? Oh well.

"That sounds like a man who came for nothing more than to get drunk." A feminine voice entered my ears from the direction of the footsteps I heard, and the owner of that voice leaned into my field of vision.

…..Words could not describe just how fucking over sudden developments I was at that point, so I looked away from Shou, not even acknowledging the implications of her being here. I didn't come here to think even harder for fuck's sake, I just wanted to drink.

"Oh? You're not intimidated?" I could hear her sit down right next to me, the noise behind us getting antsy. Not that I cared why anymore. "So you're prepared to be a tiger tonight?"

"To be a tiger?" Ah, I let my curiosity get the better of me. I looked back at her golden yellow eyes, and she smiled challengingly.

"To become uninhibited from drinking." She answered. Now that I was paying attention to her, I noticed she wasn't wearing her usual dress, instead wearing some common clothes any ordinary village girl would wear.

Putting that aside, I smiled from the irony of her words. "To be a tiger in front of one? Why not, sounds like fun." Gasps erupted from behind me, and Shou's smile only widened. When I turned to order another drink, I saw that the barkeep was pulling something from underneath the counter, his eyes looking at me with… pity?

I know I said that I wouldn't think, but…

…

...Oh.

The way I worded it, doesn't it sound like I'm drinking with her? In other words… I've just agreed to become a youkai's drinking buddy. Now, any sane person would run for the hills upon realizing that they couldn't keep this promise, for fear of drinking themselves to death, but this wasn't someone I wanted to leave a bad impression on, considering she's related to the place I'm trying to take over. With that in mind, I guess my only strategy is… to have no strategy. I came here to get drunk anyways, so might as well see what happens.

"...Oh? You're really not running away." Shou said that as though she could read my mind. She must have sensed some sort of hesitation in the brief moment I realized what I had gotten myself into.

"That would be rude. Besides, it really does sound like fun." Those words that came out of my mouth would have been seen as madness from myself normally. I still didn't know why I was acting in such a reckless way, but something urged me towards an intoxicated ruin.

The barkeep finished pouring out tall glasses of whatever it was he pulled from under the counter and set them in front of us. I frowned when I realized I didn't have too much money, and was about to ask him what the drink was before I was cut off by Shou.

"It's on me."

"Oh… thank you."

...I could swear that she really was reading my mind. Her eyes looked sharp, like they wouldn't miss anything I did… so maybe she was reading me through my physical habits? I let that thought fade away as I saw her grab her glass, turning my attention to my own. The liquid inside was clear, like water, but I was certain that it wasn't. I went to take a sip before noticing that Shou had almost downed all of hers.

I did know that the faster you drank alcohol, the more it hit you, according to my family. I also knew that anything a youkai was drinking was probably some of the harder stuff. But I also knew that Shou would be disappointed if I didn't 'become a tiger' with her. So, with all of my rational thrown out the window, I said 'fuck it' mentally as I started chugging the drink.

I heard Shou's glass hit the counter as she started speaking again, but my eyes were closed as I put my effort in drinking. "So, why…" Her voice trailed off and I began to wonder if something was wrong, but I was almost done my drink, I felt like.

It wasn't anywhere near sweet, like the few drinks I normally had, and I could tell it was strong and bitter, even though I wasn't tasting it, per se. The thing that stood out the most was how much hotter I felt as it ran through my body, and the buzz I felt growing in the back of my head was unlike anything I had casually drinking away. I put the glass down, content that I had done it right, and looked back at a shocked Shou. The ruckus that was behind us, probably watching what happened, had completely died down.

"Huh? What's up?" I had somehow managed those words before the buzz in the back of my mind shot through the rest of my body like electricity. It was the signal that I had gone and fucked up, and I soon flopped over onto the counter, somehow managing to keep myself upright with my arms. "Ah, fuck. Shuda known dat wud 'appen." My entire world was spiralling around and around, and even the slurred speech I managed then was impressive, since I felt like I couldn't speak at all anymore.

"Are you okay?" I used my remaining strength to try and get up so I could look at Shou, but the moment I caught sight of her yellow-black striped hair, my balance was thrown off and I fell towards her. I don't exactly know where I landed, but I certainly wasn't in any state of mind to appreciate it. I did manage to say one thing before blacking out though.

"Grr, I'mma tiger~"

...It would be alright if I died now.

* * *

When I became aware, for some reason I was in a massage parlour.

"Wha-"

Those words didn't finish leaving my lips as I felt an immensely pleasant sensation along my back, and a satisfied sigh exited instead. It felt really good… but seriously, where was I?

"Master."

Ah, that's Yuri's voice. I look behind me and see that the one giving me the massage is her, along with Kyouko and… Mystia and Rumia?!

"What the he-"

Once again, before I finished my words, pressures along my back just made me exhale in a relaxed manner.

"Come on, master, try to relax!" Mystia reprimanded me softly, and her fingers lowered to my lower back.

"I-I still haven't made it up to you for ruining your plans, master… Does this feel good?" Rumia's voice was soft and sweet, unlike how she usually spoke to me, and she followed Mystia's lead in massaging my lower back.

"O-oooo…" I… fuck that felt good. Since when was the last time I've felt this relaxed? I could feel all of my stress melting into oblivion, almost like I was being hypnotized myself, but it wasn't a blank feeling of bliss, but more of a… what do you call it? When you get off from a long day at work and just flop onto a soft bed, comfortable at last… Yeah, it was pretty nice.

But how did I get here? And it's not like there was a timeskip mechanic I could abuse to fast forward to a time where I have succeeded already. I search my mind, but then a fluffy thing rubs against my head.

"D-does my tail f-feel good, master?" Kyouko was rubbing her tail along my ears for some reason, stopping my thoughts.

"Y-yess…" Strangely enough, it did feel pretty good as well… everything felt really pleasant and nice...

 _...Which is why this is very, very wrong._

Now I knew for certain this wasn't reality. I tried fighting the nice feelings I was having to think for a moment about how I got here, and then I remembered passing out from alcohol.

"Ah…"

It's a dream… of course, it was. But can I really say for certain that it is? What if I'm currently hypnotized and being forced to believe that it's a dream? In which case, the only logical thing to do is to wake up, right?

"Master? Master, what are you doing! Master!"

With the full awareness of it being a dream, I shook off the imaginations and hurriedly opened my eyes.

* * *

The first thing I thought of when I opened my eyes was 'where am I'? After all, I didn't remember sleeping on something warm and soft, which I could feel on the back of my head. When my eyes finally focused the image, I saw the woman who was drinking with me looking down.

"Ah, you're awake." Shou smiled warmly, despite the fact that we didn't know each other. I mean, I did catch a glimpse of her when I first arrived, as Kyouko brought me through the temple for advice on how to proceed with an outsider, but it wasn't enough to warrant the expression she was giving me.

"...How long was I out for?" I asked that with some trouble, feeling a burning ache in my throat from the dryness. I wasn't certain why it was dry, but I guessed it had to do with whatever alcohol I drank.

"Most of the night, but I didn't expect you to wake up until tomorrow at least… I'm surprised." Shou's expression was genuinely kind; far different from the more tomboyish one I had seen at the bar. That's when I noticed she was in her iconic dress.

"Well my father did say I had good drinking genes…" For what it was worth, I didn't actually believe that until this moment. As for whether I had a hangover, I don't think so; my head is quite a bit fuzzy, but it's nothing I couldn't handle.

Shou laughed softly and it gave my chills. She actually had quite the beautiful voice, even when she was speaking to me back at the bar, I just never paid close attention to it until now.

While I was at it, I checked more of my surroundings; it was a candle-lit room that had a very elegant feel to it. It was japanese style, of course, and had some wall scrolls relating to buddhism hanging on the walls. I also realized that I was using Shou's thighs as a pillow, but I decided not to make a big deal of it, since it felt nice.

"Where are we?" I didn't think we were in her room, but-

"My room in the Myouren Temple." -Shou quickly showed me I was wrong. "After you had passed out, I felt I should take responsibility for you. I wasn't aware you didn't know it was Crystal Fibre."

"Crystal Fibre? ...Oh, the drink."

Shou nodded, her golden eyes narrowing as she gave a apologetic smile. "Humans get drunk very quickly simply sipping it, so when you drank it in one go… I feared for your life, honestly. I've never seen a human drink it as quickly and as fearlessly as you did… although that courage must have come from ignorance."

"...No, it came from recklessness. I knew it was probably stronger than normal alcohol based on how everyone was acting, but I thought I could handle it. Also… I wanted to impress you."

"Oh?"

I gave her a smile back. "Was I enough of a tiger for you?"

Shou gave another laugh and stroked my head. "I knew it. You're still drunk."

"I am?" I blinked uncertainly. I mean, my head _was_ fuzzy and my body felt a bit heavy… hm. It doesn't feel as strong as I imagined, but I probably sobered up some while I was unconscious. "Well, if you say so then it must be true." Shou's gentle hand brushed my head again. "Hm… that's quite nice… but why are you doing this for a stranger like me? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"I already said why; I'm taking responsibility for you."

Hmm… but wasn't it my fault to begin with? Oh well. Shou sure was nice… was she like this canon-wise? She must have been, since I didn't know the character that well. Not to mention the fact that she was at that bar…

"...Oh yeah, why were you at that bar?"

"Hm?" Shou cocked her head while stroking my hair.

"I mean… does buddhism allow drinking?" I said what was on my mind and Shou's smile became a bit more mischievous.

"No, but… I am a tiger, after all." Softly sighing at her own poor joke, I saw Shou's eyes narrow as she gazed at me. "...What will you do, guest of mine?"

"What will I do…? What do you mean?" I honestly had no idea what she was asking me, when I realized something. "Maybe it's because I'm still a bit drunk, but I don't understand."

"I could get in… quite a bit of trouble were you to speak to the chief priest here. Of course… I would need to show my _gratitude_ were you to refrain from speaking." Shou spoke slowly and deliberately, her face suddenly very close to mine. She was so close that I could reach up and kiss her right now, and her expression was that of a vulnerable maiden.

Of course, I don't think she was expecting what I was about to say.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I said that with annoyance.

Shou backed off very quickly, her eyes blinking with shock and surprise. "Eh?"

I got up off her lap and sighed before turning to face her. "Did you show your _gratitude_ to each and every person in that bar, because there are quite a few people who could have words with the chief priest here." My mind was a no-bullshit zone 24/7, so if something was off, then I'd damn be sure to call it out. "Nah, you don't look the type. So then, were you hitting on me? Not to put myself down, but we don't know each other that well and I'm mediocre at best in the looks department. That means… you're teasing me." Yup, that sounds about right.

Shou looked at me with stunned eyes, and during the drawn out silence, I wondered if I said too much. I mean, if you translate my first statement into plain terms, I called her a whore before dismissing it because she didn't look like one. It was actually quite rude, but at least I had alcohol to blame for that.

Despite that all, Shou started laughing, this time it was much less dignified and she covered her mouth so as to not make too much noise. I guess that means I was safe…?

Shou had finished her laughter with a guilty expression, like she had played a mean prank on someone. "Yes, you're quite right, everyone at the bar could tell her if they wanted to. My apologies, but my true intent was to see what type of a person you were."

"What type of person I was? Why me specifically?" I only saw her once before this, and she didn't even talk to me because it was only in passing.

"All of the humans in the village don't want to drink with me, you see, and it can be quite lonely. You're the first person in a very long time to drink with me, so I became a bit interested in you and wanted to see what you were going to do if I tested you… Once again, I apologize." Shou gave a small bow to accentuate her actions and I scratched my head.

"...I see. So letting me into your room, laying my head down on your soft lap and stroking my head was all a part of the test as well?" Shou said yes. At least I finally had an explanation for that, however something still bugged me. "So, now that you've tested my character, what do you plan on doing now?"

"I wonder… despite how the evening turned out, would you be willing to drink with me again sometime?" Shou asked that question as a response and I frowned.

"What? You actually want to drink with someone like me?"

"Certainly! You're very honest in how you act and speak, which is something I value. Most who agree to drink with me try to gain favor so they can be more fortunate, but I never once sensed such intentions from you."

"Yeah, well… I don't know your character all that well to begin with, so why would I know your powers?" All I knew was that she was a tiger Youkai and the 5th stage boss of Touhou 12.

"Oh? You don't know about my powers?" Shou looked surprised as well as shocked.

"I'm from the outside world… Kyouko and some others here know about me already, because I woke up at the base of this temple. I saw you on the day I came here, actually, but I guess you didn't notice me."

"Ah… I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It really was only in passing, so it's not surprising… But anyways, fortune, huh? While I can't say I'm not interested, I don't think I need it right- No wait, I totally do, don't I? Hmm…." I remembered the situation I was in for the first time that day, not realizing I had spoken my thoughts aloud, nor looking at the mysterious expression in Shou's face. "Ah, but if it's a power, then you probably decide whether or not to use it on someone, right? In that case, shouldn't you just tell everyone that you won't use it on them regardless of if they drink with you?"

"Eh?" Shou's mysterious expression became more complex at my suggestion, but I continued.

"Well, if they know they won't benefit by getting fortune, then the ones who drink with you are just doing so to drink with you… right?"

Shou's mouth was agape, and a conflicted smile soon spread on her face. "Yes, well… That may be true…"

"Is something wrong with that?"

"I want to say that I didn't think of that, but… simply being around me is enough to gain fortune." Shou reluctantly spoke that, her eyes looking down at the ground.

I crossed my arms and thought for a moment. Shou's luck would definitely be an asset to me, since I was already relying on dumb luck anyways for this plan to work, but based on how she treated me, it also seemed like she was able to have a general grasp of what that person was feeling. I didn't think it was a power, so much as simply being good at reading people. Besides that, I needed to put her under hypnosis anyways to proceed with my plans… But would she know that I had ulterior motives from her skill in reading people? Looking back at her, she seemed disappointed… I guess she really wanted me to be simply interested in drinking company in spite of the good luck she brings, so now that she found out I hadn't known…

"Why didn't you just lie about your powers to me? It's not like I would have doubted you."

Shou sighed softly and shook her head. "I may drink, but I try not to break anymore rules of my practice. That's why I didn't lie."

"Makes sense. But I'm not exactly the most selfless person in the world… I wonder if there's a way to null your powers as a motivation…?" I spoke plainly, since she probably already knew I was interested in her powers. It wasn't like I was trying to hide it.

"...Is my company not motivation enough?" Shou spoke a bit more darkly, my words upsetting her.

"Of course it's good, but I don't believe in myself enough to have the purest of intentions… Quite honestly, I would have had ulterior motives to be on your good side even before I knew your powers."

"Hm?" Shou frowned in confusion, not understanding what other motivations I could have possibly had.

"Well, you're attractive." Shou's cheeks reddened slightly, and her face returned to the cool and collected one I had seen when I first woke up, perhaps as a way to hide her embarrassment. "And now I know that it's not just in looks, but in personality too." Hm? I feel like I'm acting out of character… oh, right. Alcohol. "You could probably fight me off easily, but I might get a sudden urge to hug you out of nowhere, you know?" I said that last part jokingly, but Shou didn't laugh. Instead, her face got a bit redder.

"...I-I cannot be in solicitous relationships with someone of a romantic nature." Shou said that quietly and I just sat there dumbfounded. Was I some sort of lady killer when I was under the influence of alcohol, albeit after sobering up a little?

"Hmm… but you are interested?"

"Eh!?" Shou's voice got a bit louder and now I could see the nervousness in her face.

"In dating, I mean. It's all over your face." I got a bit closer and gestured to my face, to which Shou decided that covering up hers was the best response.

"Ohhh… such a shameful display…" Shou seemed more and more distraught by the second and I laughed.

"Let's forget about it for now then. Instead, how about I show you a power of mine?"

Through uninhibited actions something truly miraculous was about to occur.

"...You have a power too?" Shou peeked out from her hands, curiosity and the desire to change the subject giving her a new interest in the subject at hand.

"Yup… well, it's more of a technique, mind you, but it feels really good- ah but not in a perverse way, mind you. In a relaxing way. Come to think of it, you probably mediate a lot if you live in this temple, don't you? It's something similar to that, but the effects and the way you feel are different. Through getting comfortable, taking steady deep breaths and listening to someone's voice and instructions, you can reach a deep level of relaxation where you let go of all thought so you can achieve a perfect rest. It's quite amazing! Do you want to try it?"

Shou was overcome by the sudden outpour of words I hit her with, and it seemed like she was trying to catch up to what I was talking about. I realized I pushed for it too strongly, and I backed off.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I get really passionate about it." This wasn't a lie. And even those words I spoke earlier had no ulterior motive behind them. I was genuinely offering to make her feel good and nothing more. It's not like every single time I hypnotized someone that I needed to break them down to become a sex slave, I could work on it over time.

Shou was still uncertain and flustered as she spoke. "Um… No, it's okay…" Shou took a deep breath and composed herself, thinking deeply. I felt embarrassed myself at my sudden outburst and looked down in shame. I kept looking up at Shou while she was thinking, and our eyes caught each others once in awhile, but Shou no longer had any shyness in her expression when she did. She appeared to make a full recovery from my reckless words.

Finally though, she spoke. "...I suppose I could give it a try."

My eyes lit up in excitement, and I almost leapt for joy on the spot.

* * *

 _ **6 days until deadline.**_


	9. Shou II

"But if I rest, then I won't be able to guide you back home." Shou pointed that out, but I wasn't about to let this opportunity slip from my grasp.

"I know Kyouko would be willing to help me home… ah but she's probably sleeping." I added that last part hastily, realizing that Shou might not have been aware of Kyouko's late night activities, but Shou shook her head.

"You know that's not true, don't you?" I guess she had known and could tell I wasn't being honest.

"...Just how much can you tell simply by looking at me?" I had been wondering it for a while, but Shou was quite good at reading people.

"My eyes are still as sharp as when I was in my tiger form. Communication isn't limited to words, but the way people act as well, so I've gotten good at understanding what others are telling me, even if they aren't aware of it themselves." Shou's golden, yellow eyes displaying the unwavering gaze she had shown at the bar. It was mesmerising, in a way, and made me forget the display of emotions she had shown previously.

"I see…" I was getting a bit lost, staring into her eyes. It was a strange feeling, actually liking someone's eyes, considering I thought that compliments towards them were empty words thrown around in terrible romance movies, but I had to say Shou's eyes were quite breathtaking.

Perhaps Shou could sense even that, and looked away. "...Hm, I am unused to such attention." She seemed much calmer than the first time I told her she was pretty, so her words meant much more. I would've thought she was trying to save face, but it seemed she was just genuinely unsure of how to react to me.

"Why? I'd think there would be a ton of people lining up trying to go on a date with you…"

"I mentioned this before but all they are ever interested in is the good fortune I bring." Shou looked disheartened as she said this.

"Isn't it possible that you confused their ulterior motives? I mean, you could tell that they wanted to get close to you, but are you able to tell whether or not they're interested in you?" I couldn't possibly imagine that nobody was interested in Shou, and some surprise showed on her face at my suggestion.

"Eh? Well, it's true that I can only tell they have an ulterior motive… But wouldn't they have been upfront about it like you?"

"How should I put this… I'm not exactly acting like myself right now. If it were any other day, I probably wouldn't have been so straightforward, but I'm… less reserved at the moment."

Shou blinked, then her red cheeks became redder. "O-oh, I see… so it might not just be my fortune they want? Ahh… th-they think I'm pretty… But even still, I can't accept those feelings either. Although it is flattering." Shou seemed happier now, and I smiled in spite of myself. I feel like we would have gotten along as friends had the circumstances been different…

...But I didn't have to ruin the moment right now, right? I'm honestly just going to help her relax for tonight, that's all. Besides, if I have second thoughts about it now, she'll notice it with those eyes of hers.

"I'd imagine a tiger would have more confidence in herself."

Shou had completely become composed at those words and smiled. "...Indeed."

"...Would you like to try it out now?"

"Hm? Ah, certainly. What should I do?"

"Well, first off… you need to get a comfortable as possible, either lying down or sitting up, whichever you think will make you more relaxed."

Shou sat cross-legged in front of me, giving a ready face. Meanwhile, I gave a skeptical expression.

"...Um… that's the most comfortable position for you?"

"Yes… Is it strange?"

"Upon further thought, I guess it makes sense…" We were in a temple, after all, and I guess they meditated alot, so the position must have been natural to the degree of being comfortable? Either way, I needed to be cautious that she didn't end up meditating instead of falling into trance. "And now, all you need to do is focus on my words and follow my instructions. It might seem similar to meditation for a bit, but it will feel very different after a while."

"Feel different how?"

That's the first time someone asked me about what they're going to feel. Yuri lied to Kyouko about it feeling like a thousand head pats, however I couldn't exactly lie to Shou, so I'll just tell the truth. "Your head will feel very warm and fuzzy, and you won't be able to think consciously."

"Consciously?" Shou didn't seem confused, but rather, surprised.

"Yes. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, I do… Will I be in touch with my inner mind from doing this? If so, that's the same as meditation."

...Eh?! She means the subconscious mind, doesn't she? So meditating is that?! Why wasn't I told about this? Ah, and I can't play it off like I knew that around Shou.

"It really should feel different simply from listening to my voice and following my instructions though." Instead, I said what I knew; Hypnosis was in fact different in some ways from meditation. After all, you can't make someone accept your suggestions when they are meditating.

"If I may ask, how do you know this?"

"Because I hypnotized someone who's meditated before." Kyouko went into trance without a hitch, so that's the proof.

"...Hypnotized?"

"Yes, that's the technique I mentioned…"

….Wait, Shou is looking at me quite sternly all of a sudden… Oh fuck, don't tell me-

"...So you seek to control me?" Shou's voice was as serious as I've ever heard it and I could feel a cold sweat roll down my back.

 _ **FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK-**_ No, wait a moment.

"...Nope. And you can tell that's not a lie, can't you?"

"Eh?" Once again, Shou became uncertain, as she could see I was telling the truth.

Allow me to explain; I really had no intentions of making Shou do anything she wasn't against this particular evening. Plus, there was the fact that hypnosis was the process of giving suggestions to the subconscious mind of whoever was hypnotized, so it wasn't technically going against their will… well, therein lies the trick; you make suggestions that the subject will accept willingly, and using those suggestions, you make them accept certain things they might not have accepted before, whether they want to or not.

Example; Mystia accepted suggestions that Kyouko was a reflection of her. She did not start accepting suggestions that she was a perverted slave for an unknown master until she accepted that the reflection of Kyouko masturbating while calling out for 'master' was her. But all Kyouko did was suggest that she was her reflection, long before Mystia knew what Kyouko was going to do.

In other words, they give an inch and you go a mile. It's really quite the evil technique… Also, if you see people using the excuse that 'you can't do anything you're against in hypnosis' then punch them in the face, as hard as you can.

But anyways, Shou has heard of hypnosis before, huh? I suppose it would have been slightly ridiculous if nobody in Gensokyo had heard of it before… considering Reisen had powers revolving around hypnosis.

Yup, I had realized that Reisen was a thing while I was sitting in the hospital with nothing but Yuri and conversation to keep me company. It was quite the oversight in my plan, which was why I decided not to call the technique hypnosis in future plots, but of course I had to let the word slip in front of someone who knew what it was. Talk about inconvenient timing, huh?

Shou wasn't entirely convinced based on her expression either. I'm guessing she heard bad things about hypnosis? Actually, now's probably a good time to see what hypnosis in Gensokyo entails...

"You've heard of hypnosis, but you didn't know what I was talking about before now. Is hypnosis different in Gensokyo than it is in the outside world?" I was genuinely curious, and I knew Shou would pick up on that. True to form, she took my question seriously and eased up a little, seemingly accepting that I had no ill intent.

"...In Gensokyo… hypnosis is a power that controls the minds of others forcefully, making them believe things they wouldn't normally. They channel the power through eyes or pendulums and make them irresistible to look away from as the power taints their minds with their will." Shou clearly didn't think highly of it.

But yeah, that was pretty much how I imagined hypnosis in a high-fantasy setting anyways. The major difference here is-

"But, despite me saying it was a power, I don't actually have any power. As a matter of fact, anyone, even powerless people, can use the hypnosis I'm talking about."

"Hmm…" Shou seemed to be thinking about it.

"You can ask me questions about it if you want." I could only hope she didn't ask something that would lead me to giving an answer that would change her mind.

"Then… I'll take you up on that offer." Shou had relaxed again as she gave it some thought. "...Can your hypnosis impose your will on others?"

Damn, a loaded question right off the bat-! "Technically yes, there are a few ways that can be achieved, but the most common and successful way is if the person being hypnotized wishes it as well."

"Wha- why would they wish for that?" Shou looked bewildered.

"Hypnosis is used recreationally by quite a few people in the outside world as a way to relieve stress. For example, if someone has had a long, hard day of work and they want to stop thinking, they'll leave all of the thinking up to a person they trust because they like the feeling of trance and it gives them a much needed break from the stresses and worries they experienced during the day." Phew, what a mouthful. I'm hoping the next question isn't so rough…

Shou kept quiet for a moment while she let what I said sink in, then asked, "What are the other methods?"

I gave a pained smile. She really wasn't making this easy. "Making the hypnotized person believe it's what they want, or blackmailing them."

"...For example?." Shou's face was serious again. Ah, but you still look cute even with that expression.

"You can make them believe it's what they want by doing what they consent to and manipulating that. For example, if they agree to be hypnotized to believe that you're the person's reflection, then all you need to do is say that "you want to be controlled". Since they think it's their reflection, they'll believe that they are the one who said it. As for the blackmail… it can only be applied to those who are desperate to feel something, like a strong emotion. For example, if a person wants to feel inebriated without the hangover, you can make them feel that with hypnosis. But if this hypnotist was evil enough to use that as blackmail, they'll hold that feeling over them while they are in trance, saying something along the lines of 'in order to feel this again, you must obey my words'."

Shou took a deep breath and moved closer to me for some reason, looking me deep in the eyes with her golden gaze, and I felt that similar feeling of mesmerization. Seriously, that's not fair, since I doubt she would be doing it if she was aware of it…

"...And are you evil enough to do that to someone?"

...Yeah, I'm kinda fucked here.

"Not that specifically, no."

"But-?"

"...I'd use the first method. I don't want people to be in pain, I want them to feel good."

I sighed as my eyes finally broke free from the figurative spell of Shou's eyes and looked down. It was well and truly over now; I had no choice but to speak the truth based on Shou's OP skill in reading people. I guess all I could hope for now was that Byakuren showed enough interest in my method to give it a chance, then have her convince that it's worthwhile to try it out… oh and I'll need some way to get past Shou's ability to read people. In a way, this wasn't a waste of time since I know what to expect with her now.

"...Maybe tomorrow."

Yeah, maybe tomorrow Byakuren will notice, if we're being optimistic. That would be ideal…

"...Wait, what did you say?"

Shou spoke again. "I'll think about it and give you an answer tomorrow… unless you're busy?"

My mouth was agape and I shook my head. "I-I'm not, but-"

"Ah, I know I said I would do it, but I'm having second thoughts. I'm sorry about that." Shou gave me a polite bow and my head shook even more rapidly.

"No, that's not it! It's just… you do realize I admitted to being evil enough to do the first method, right?" I was completely stumped. Granted, I knew little of Shou's character to begin with, but even so I was surprised with how she was acting.

"I do. I also know that you would only use it because you want others to be free from pain, correct? Aside from that, you truly have no intention of doing anything like that to me, but I'm still a bit wary of hypnosis in spite of that. Sorry again." Shou bowed again, giving me time to hope for the love of god I could hide my nervousness in regards to one statement.

She misunderstood; while I didn't want anyone to be in pain, that didn't necessarily mean I would use the first method only for situations where someone was in pain. It was lucky she had taken it that way, and even luckier still that she wasn't looking at me right at that moment. I needed to quickly get my mind off of that topic…

"...No, you shouldn't apologize. But this method doesn't work very well if you get drunk, so maybe instead of giving me an answer, we should go out drinking tomorrow? I ended up cutting your plans short for tonight, after all." In the end, I decided to bring her attention towards alcohol.

Shou raised her head with a guilty smile. "Ah, is that alright? I would very much enjoy that, but are you not worried considering what happened earlier?"

"I'll just drink more slowly this time." I ended up living, so it wasn't dangerous… right?

"Very well." Shou was still a complete mystery to me, smiling yet again. It seems that she warmed up to me rather quickly, although why she did is anyone's guess. If anything, I think she's weird for being so friendly with someone like myself, especially after I made more than enough comments that would have soured other people.

I excused myself, saying I would have Kyouko guide me home. Shou mentioned that she was probably at the makeshift arena playing music (so she knew?) and offered to guide me home instead. After mulling it over a bit, I decided to accept her offer, even though I knew Kyouko was still at the temple. According to my plans, she and Mystia would be acting faithfully to the practices here so there was no reason for them to be anywhere else, but I was pretty tired so I didn't feel like going around looking for her. Shou, sharp as ever, seemed to notice that I was taking too much time thinking about her offer, but decided not to inquire, thankfully. I guess she trusted me.

The walk back was mostly quiet, with only a bit of small talk between me and her on the way. She mentioned Nazarin, and I inquired about it in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion as I was curious where she was, only to be told that she didn't actually live at the temple. Not only that, but apparently she very rarely ever came to visit at all, only coming down when Shou actually needs her. But this wasn't the most shocking of all the details.

So basically, Nazarin isn't Shou's underling, but rather, she is a servant of Bishamonten sent to watch and assist Shou, who is both a disciple and avatar of Bishamonten. That being said, due to being a direct servant to Bishamonten, apparently Nazarin doesn't consider Shou a superior at all, even though she's technically her familiar! It was quite a shock to hear all of that, and I realized just how much information can be skewered by the fandom. Dammit fandom, you have betrayed me! I hope I'm not misinformed about anything else, because it could lead to a fatal mistake someday…

...Wait, just how does that work? She was sent by Bishamonten, yet she's Shou's familiar? For that matter, how do familiars work again? ...Ugh, my head hurts. Let's just forget about it, since it's not important at the moment.

When we reached the entrance to the village, I thanked Shou for guiding me and told her I would meet her at the bar tomorrow. We said farewell to each other and I rushed back to my bed at Yuri's house, collapsing onto the futon quietly and getting some much needed rest.

* * *

Yesterday could be considered a disaster with Rumia. I still had no idea what that outburst was about, and I was too timid to go back there without understanding what set her off. That being said, it led to events that would have me become acquainted with Shou, so it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Although that ended in disappointment when she changed her mind in regards to being hypnotized, I ended on good terms with her so it wasn't like it was something I couldn't come back from.

I already had plans for tonight, but as for right now, I got a report from Kyouko in the middle of the woods. I had ordered her to give me updates about the situation prior to seeing her last. I wondered about how it was going, since I hadn't heard or seen Mystia there. It would have been awful if she was turned away simply because of her past track record…

"It took a bit of convincing, but it seems they're letting her stay there for a trial period." Kyouko announced that happily, dispelling my earlier worry.

"That's good… but did anyone express interest in why she wanted to join all of a sudden?" I asked and Kyouko shook her head.

"Byakuren considers prying into personal reasons wrong… all that's important is whether they truly wish to dedicate themselves to the six perfections." Kyouko said that with a frown.

Damn… if they don't show any interest, then what was the point of going through all that work with Mystia?! ...No, it's still too early to say it's a waste. Kyouko and Shou have shown flaws in regards to their religion, so someone might take an interest in it… but it won't matter at all if I can't hypnotize Byakuren! The one person who I needed to take the bait ignored it entirely! As if I needed this part of the plan to be a flop, especially now that I have a time limit.

"We still have six days if nighttime is when the deadline cuts off, but this _is_ Rumia we're talking about, so let's say we have five- no, four." I touched the temples of my head, realizing that she might have pushed the date considering how upset she was acting yesterday. "I feel like we can wait and see for one more day before trying to get Mystia to mention the method and get people in the temple curious. As for right now, just follow the original plan of not raising suspicion. I'll do what I can from my end for now."

"What master can do from his end…?" Kyouko cocked her head and I gave as best a reassuring smile I could.

"I ended up meeting with Shou last night. I'm going to meet her again later tonight."

Kyouko's mouth was agape, then her eyes sparkled. "A-as expected of master! You're planning on hypnotizing her to take over the temple? I wouldn't have imagined… but if anyone can pull it off, it might be you…"

I was taken aback from the sudden praise, but one phrase in particular caught my attention. "Take over the temple? Wait, but Byakuren is the one who runs the temple, isn't she?"

Kyouko's perked up ears and tail drooped when she heard that, as though she was disappointed. "Huh? Master wasn't planning to…? Oh…"

"No, of course I do, and she's even thinking about it!" I grabbed Kyouko by the shoulders, and her ears and tail perked up again, although more in surprise at my sudden exclamation. But I couldn't help it! If there's a solution to taking over this temple that I hadn't thought of, then I needed to hear it! It was like I caught a glimpse of a lifesaver while I was drowning, and I was reaching out for it with all my strength! "What do you mean I can take over the temple if I hypnotize Shou?"

Kyouko spoke with a little bit of timidness from my agressive stance. "Sh-Shou is the avatar of Bishamonten and Byakuren is a follower of Bishamonten. While Shou is technically a disciple… Byakuren reveres and worships her because of that. So if Shou were to introduce the method to Byakuren-"

"-she'd do it without question, holy shit…" My hands dropped from Kyouko's shoulder's as I finished her words for her. Just what the actual fuck is wrong with this temple!? Byakuren is the head priest and Shou is the disciple, yet Byakuren would worship her for being an avatar of the god she follows? But Nazarin doesn't worship Shou, and doesn't even consider her on par with her god…? For that matter, what does avatar even mean in this instance? I don't know anymore!

All of my plans were made based on what little information I had beforehand from the wiki and fandom, and what I managed to scrounge up by myself, but I never would have come up with this at all! That was actually another reason I was only going to hypnotize Shou without doing anything; because I thought she wouldn't influence Byakuren considering she was a disciple.

So, in other words… through sheer dumb luck and circumstance I was on the fast track to conquer the temple?

Not through my plan, which I arrogantly thought was carefully calculated and prepared.

But through a single day of being reckless, stupid and lucky.

 _ **Because I was fortunate**_.

' _...simply being around me is enough to gain fortune.'_

"..."

"Um, master?"

"Haha… hahahaha…What a fucking joke of a power."

Seriously. In the end, hard work was nothing in the face of being lucky.

All I did was get drunk and become unconscious. All I did was be honest because I was still somehow under the influence of alcohol. All I did was earnestly want to hypnotize her without any ulterior motives for once, because I love hypnosis.

"What kind of a power is that? Helping someone who would take over your temple for their own selfish gain?" I smiled painfully. My out of character moments were making a tiny bit more sense if I considered it an influence of Shou's power. Everything I did ended up benefitting my goal of taking over the temple, after all, yet how was Shou fortunate at all in this situation? Not only that, but she couldn't trust a great deal of people who approached her because of how attractive her powers were, even though she herself was just as attractive.

That's not a power… that's a curse.

"Master…" Kyouko was looking at me, quite worried, but I pet her head reassuringly.

"Thank you, Kyouko. We'll definitely make the deadline now." I used my free hand to pull her in for a hug, to which her tail swished rapidly with joy in response to.

That being said, there was still one big hurdle left; Shou's ability to read people. If she doesn't trust me enough to hypnotize her, then I couldn't possibly succeed. The only way I could hypnotize her then is to not do it with the intent of making her my pawn, but deciding to after I have put her into trance…

"...There is one thing I need you to do while you're still here, Kyouko." I seperated from her and lifted her chin up to face me.

"A-anything master!" Kyouko was still wagging her tail away happily as I told her what to do, and explained why it needed to be done. When I finished, her eyes narrowed and her smile turned into a devious grin as she returned the favor and put my chin in hand, her voice a much lower growl than the peppy high-pitched voice I heard earlier. "Of course… _master_."

* * *

 _ **6(?) days until deadline.**_


	10. Shou III

"-ou okay?"

I blanked out a bit from how hard the liquor hit me, a sudden, warm, fuzziness assailing the back of my head, but I was able to respond. "Yeah. Maybe I should stick to sips from now on…"

I was back at the bar with Shou, who was back in the plain looking clothes I saw her in the last time she went here. I tried to take a gulp of the drink that had knocked me out the night prior and I could already feel the alien sensation of drunkenness creep up on me. Well, maybe not 'alien' but I wasn't able to comprehend the feeling very well the last time.

Shou softly chuckled. "Now do you understand why I was worried when you drank it one go?"

I nodded. "If I'm drunk from that little, then I must've been really fucked up last night. Is it just me or is it getting hot?" I pulled on my collar a bit and Shou laughed a little louder.

"It didn't take you long to speak vulgar words this time."

"Hm? What, fuck? I say that all the time." I took another sip of my drink, and shuddered as my drunken state increased.

"Oh, is that so?" Shou drank her drink at a faster pace, but she was clearly not inebriated yet. Damn those Youkai genes!

"Yeah, I haven't sworn too much in public since coming here, but I did it all the time back in the outside world." I said that while frowning at my drink. "Now that I'm actually tasting it, it doesn't taste very good."

"No, but it's strong. Can I have another?" Shou, having finished hers, called for another.

"You're not human." I said that jokingly as I took another reckless gulp, a pointless sense of pride coming over me to show I could drink it without flinching.

"That I'm not." Shou laughed again, and raised an eyebrow at my second gulp. "Are you?"

"Nah, I'm a tiger, right?" I said those words smoothly… I think? I don't know, my head's getting more clouded.

Shou continued laughing. "That you are!" Then she took the recently poured drink and started drinking it.

"You know, you laugh quite a bit."

She stopped drinking it mid-way. "Is it bothersome?"

"No, your laugh is cute." I took another gulp, already carried away by the heavy feeling sinking into my body and mind. I'd imagine Shou was good and blushing from my words, hehe. I went for another drink, but a hand covered up the drink before it could reach my lips.

"...Hm, I normally wouldn't stop who was drinking with me, but I don't want a repeat of yesterday." Shou said that bluntly.

"Aw, comon! I can build a tolerance to it…" I pointlessly tried to pull Shou's hand off the cup, but obviously I couldn't overpower a Youkai.

"Are you still trying to impress me?" Shou pulled it away and out of my reach.

"Damn straight! All of us men are fools, so why shouldn't I act like one!" I reached out for the drink but I ended up almost falling off my seat. Shou straightened me out with her free hand effortlessly before I ended up falling.

"I appreciate your spirit, but you're trying too hard. We're here for a good time, so you should relax." Shou reprimanded me bluntly with a frown. Ah, I guess I soured her mood a bit by acting that way, huh?

"...Sorry." I sulked as I straightened myself out. I had a tendency of being reckless lately for some reason. Maybe I'm not the calm, cool and collected type like I originally thought I was? All I wanted to do was be suitable enough drinking company for Shou.

Shou being Shou seemed to understand. "You're worried about what I think about you, right? Well you shouldn't worry about that and just be yourself."

I frowned at that. "But I don't have anything particularly special going for me. Hell, back home I only had good bonds with my brother, father, and two other people." I sulked even further. "The only reason I got to know anybody here is due to coincidence and dumb luck."

"Hmm…" Shou seemed to study me for a bit as she took another swig of her drink. "Is that what you think?"

"Yeah. Yuri I only know because I was taken in by her family when I had nowhere else to go, Kyouko because she was the first person I met when I arrived, Mystia because of Kyouko -although I wouldn't call us friends- and the reason I met you… That was just because I was having another one of my tantrums and decided to go out drinking."

I typically got angry about the stupidest things. To make matters worse, whenever I felt angry about something, the feeling always grows until it's completely out of my control and I often lose sight of what the original point was. For example, when I found out that Yuri's father had cheated, my anger agitated me and I kept thinking about unpleasant things in that moment, regardless of what they actually had to do with the situation. Then I take the events very personally despite how little the situation might have to do with me.

That's actually part of the reason why I worry and overthink things constantly. If I'm prepared for something, no matter how bad it is, I can keep calm and stay on topic. I'm always embarrassed whenever I look back on these 'episodes' of mine, because I realize that something might have absolutely nothing to do with what I got angry about to begin with.

Rumia made me uncomfortable with her unpredictability, suddenly responding to something so small with such emotion that I ended up getting angry the longer I thought about it until I ended up going to the bar.

I'm a very irrational person who can't let go of things, no matter how pointless they are. It's my biggest weakness as far as I'm concerned, and why I try to be as logical as possible.

"Do you regret it?" Shou asked.

"No, of course not. But, even though I tried to act with enthusiasm and confidence since arriving here, I've been reminded of my shortcomings very recently, and it's been weighing me down… I'm sorry, I don't want to ruin your evening again-"

"No, no, this is good. Talking about your problems over alcohol is normal. If anything, allowing someone to be completely honest is one of the most charming aspects of alcohol." Shou smiled as she looked down at her drink.

"I see… Should I order some alcohol that I can handle then?"

"Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't try to impress me?" Shou looked at me with exasperated eyes, but I shook my head.

"That's the first… no, second time you've misunderstood me. No, I'm just going to order a drink because it feels weird, not having one when we're sitting here talking. Is that not okay?" I tilted my head like so many cute anime girls have done, feeling a little silly, and Shou blinked in surprise.

"Well, no… Sorry."

"It's okay." I waved the bartender over and asked him for something sweet.

"...When was the first time?"

"Hm?" I looked at Shou curiously.

"What was the first thing I misunderstood from you?"

I grinned, half out of nerves, and half out of amusement. "...Not telling. But I'll be sure to tell you someday."

Shou looked at me with expectant eyes. "Come on, surely you can give me a hint?"

I laughed at her cute request, still refusing, and she pouted until I got my drink. We talked about a few different things after that, I felt like the mood was good for the rest of the night. Of course, I never told her what she misunderstood about me.

About how I was evil enough to force someone to obey me while hypnotized…

* * *

The next day had nothing important to note, except that Mystia was proceeding smoothly with her initiation. Apparently she was doing such a good job that it was a certainty she would stay there after her trial period. I guess she truly wanted to do whatever her "Goddess" wished of her to do, no matter how she may have not wanted to do it in the past.

Speaking of Rumia, I refused to see her since she yelled at me. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach never leaving except for the times when I was with Shou, drinking and talking. Aside from how irritating it was that she ruined my plans to make Mystia do 'this' and 'that' with me, I felt upset for some other reason I still hadn't quite put my finger on.

Everytime I run through that moment she yelled at me, it felt like I was about to realize something important, like something was on the tip of my tongue, but when I eventually failed to realize it, I became even more irritated than before and the sinking feeling grew stronger.

I decided to just wait idly in my room until it was the time to go to the bar with Shou again, but when I got there, I got a response to a question I posed to her earlier.

"Eh!? It's fine?"

Shou finally had an answer for me that night at the bar. Before we had gone inside, she stopped me and brought it up.

"Yes… I'll allow you to hypnotize me."

"But it doesn't work very well if we get drunk… do you want to do it tomorrow?" If I hypnotized her while drunk… well, I'd rather not do something so stupid since her mind would already be altered in that scenario.

"No, it's fine if we do it tonight. I must admit I've been curious about it since you've mentioned it, plus… I hadn't given you my answer yesterday, like I promised. This is my way of making up for it." Shou replied.

"If you're fine with it I guess that's okay. But where should we do it? It needs to be someplace where you can relax, that isn't very noisy. A place where you get drinks is obviously not suitable..."

* * *

And so we went back to Shou's room.

...Yes, it was that easy.

It wasn't like it was my first time entering her room, and since Shou felt comfortable enough with me hypnotizing her, I guess it made sense. I still felt a bit off being allowed in someone's room when I've only known them for a short while, but when that person is a Youkai, I guess they don't have to worry about being taken advantage of by a human, since they can easily overpower them anyways.

Shou did change into her 'work outfit', so to speak, when we arrived. She felt uncomfortable being in her casual clothes when inside the temple, so she asked me to wait outside for a moment while she changed.

When I was allowed inside, she was already waiting for me cross-legged on the floor. I didn't enjoy being on a hard wooden floor, but I sat down in front of her. Looking at her, I saw that despite her permission, she was tense.

"You know, it defeats the purpose of relaxing if you're nervous." I mentioned.

"Ah." Shou seemed to look at herself in a bit of embarrassment. "I'm sorry, it's still a bit hard to think of hypnosis as being something good."

I nodded in understanding and thought about how to ease her worries the best. "...How about you mention what I'm not allowed to do?"

"I beg your pardon?" Shou looked at me with confused eyes.

"Back in my world, hypnosis typically ends up with the one using it having some sort of control over the person consenting to it. Before that, however, the person consenting to it says what they don't want the person hypnotizing them to do. Listing what you don't want to happen means that you know it won't happen by mistake, so you don't have to worry about it then."

"...I thought you said that you don't seek to control me."

"But you're still worried about that happening anyways, aren't you?"

Shou blinked at me in realization, then guiltily looked down. I continued.

"I said typically, since that's what the person consents to. But you're just consenting to relaxing through hypnosis, so I won't go that far. If you still aren't comfortable with it, you don't have to force yourself to go through with this." If she's just being considerate of me, then there really isn't a point in continuing, but she shakes her head.

"No, I do have a genuine curiosity about what you've described. That being said, you're right that a part of me can't shake off my previous conceptions that come from the word hypnosis. Not that I don't trust you, but… I'm sorry."

"No, that's okay. If you ever get a bad feeling, you could always ask for us to stop."

"Eh? I can?"

"It takes a little work and time to reach the state I was referring to, so if you feel uncomfortable with proceeding at any point, then you can just ask to stop and we'll do so. All I'm doing is speaking, and all you're doing is following instructions, after all. There's no power to speed the process or force you into it, so there's nothing stopping you from taking a break from it and trying again when you're comfortable again." I'm trying to ease Shou's worries and it looks like she has taken my words to heart. Her body has noticeably become less tense.

"Sorry. I'm fine now. You can continue." Shou gave me a reassuring smile, to reiterate that she was indeed fine.

With that, although it had taken a while to get here, I was finally going to hypnotize Shou.

"I'll start then. So, first off, I want you to close your eyes and start taking slow, deep breaths in and out." Shou did as she was told and I could see her expression had stiffened up when she did. "You don't need to try so hard; as long as you're focusing on my words and allowing yourself to relax, then it should be easy."

"Allow… myself to relax?" Shou gave a confused expression while her eyes were closed.

"That's right. You're trying to follow my instructions as best as you can right now, right? But doing it is more important than doing a good job of it. If you stress out about whether you're breathing deeply enough, then it's a little hard to relax even if you try, right? Instead, take slow, deep breaths at whatever pace you feel comfortable. You don't have to worry about how well you're doing, as long as you just follow my instructions and listen to my voice."

"Mm… was I making a face?" Shou opened one eye questioningly, giving me a glimpse of that strikingly pretty golden eye.

"Your face was tensed up, yes. That being said, if you notice that it's tensed up, don't stress over that either. Simply push any thoughts that would make you worry and stress out like that to the side. Do you do anything similar when meditating?"

"Hmm, I do empty my mind of distractions to focus on my inner self, yes."

"Do you find that relaxing?"

"I find it peaceful, so yes."

"Then, how about you think of it like this? Rather than emptying your mind of distractions to focus on your inner self, you're emptying your mind of distractions to focus on the sound of my voice."

"The sound? Not the instructions?"

"Yes. A part of you will always be listening, even if you aren't consciously aware of it. Everyone has the capability of hearing something without being consciously aware of it, so that part of you will follow the instructions when you aren't consciously aware."

"...I see. And that is how your hypnosis works?"

"Yes. When you reach a state of hypnotic trance, your conscious mind is asleep while another part of your mind, the subconscious, remains awake. While in this state, I could instruct you to 'feel yourself relax more and more' and you would do so effortlessly and without hinderance. Instructions that wouldn't be possible normally can be done with hypnosis."

"That's why a powerless person can use it…" Shou closed her one eye and continued breathing, apparently satisfied and comfortable enough to continue.

"It seems you've relaxed quite a bit. Knowing more about it must feel like a relief." I wouldn't say, 'quite a bit' but I wanted to give her a positive remark to help her along.

"Yes." Shou took that remark and made it truth, as I saw her completely relax. The subtle suggestion I made affecting her. Of course, who wouldn't want to feel relaxed? That made it easy for her to believe it, even outside of trance.

"Taking deep breaths in and out, at your own pace while listening to my voice will help you relax as well."

"...Haaa…" Shou seemed to settle down completely, no longer commenting on what I was saying.

"That's right, take it easy and let yourself relax, more and more. Push your stresses and worries aside and focus on the sound of my voice, allowing it to guide you. You have plenty of time right now to relax. Now, whenever you breathe in, I want you to open your eyes, and whenever you breathe out, I want you to close them."

Shou's eyes fluttered open midway through her breath in, then they shut closed as she let out a long breath, her body rising and lowering slightly with each action. She was giving me complete trust now.

"Everytime you close your eyes from now on, I want you to imagine your eyelids getting heavy. Each and everytime you close your eyes, they get heavier and heavier, so much so, that opening them will start to become harder and harder. This feeling will continue to grow until your eyelids get so heavy, that they remain shut whenever you breathe in."

Shou didn't give me any facial expression in reaction to my instructions, and the glimpses I saw of her eyes were far away. I got a little excited, but I wasn't planning to do anything sketchy to her, so I calmed myself.

"It feels so nice to relax, more and more, taking slow, deep breaths in and out, and listening to the sound of my voice… And now, I want you to imagine a pleasant, warm, feeling of relaxing energy. This feeling is so wonderful, so relaxing, that when you feel it, it just melts away any tension in the body, and it feels so good. Imagine that feeling, right now, at the tips of your toes…"

"Hn!" Suddenly, that far-away look that Shou gave me focused on her toes, previously curled up in a cross-legged stance, her legs outstretched as though the moan she let out hurt her.

"A-are you okay?" I asked, a little caught off guard from the sudden movement.

"M-my toes… are ticklish…" Shou muttered that, her cheeks turning slightly red as her voice became high-pitched and cute. Her voice was also very… quiet. I could see that her eyes, while focused on her toes, were half-open. She was taking my suggestions very well.

"Then, imagine that feeling covers your entire feet-"

"Hee-heee...heeee-hee!" Shou was starting to giggle sillily, and her body was laying down as she thrashed around.

I never expected such a weakness from her. That being said, it appears as though she hasn't snapped out of her semi-trance yet, since she's still experiencing the feeling.

"This feeling stops feeling ticklish, and it spreads up to your ankles, a deep relaxing feeling."

Shou stopped thrashing around, her expression aloof and her eyes drooping. It seemed she had no intention of sitting back up as she rolled onto her back. "Mmm… That's…"

"It feels even better when you continue your deep breaths in and out."

"...Haaaa…" Shou didn't need anymore convincing and started again, her eyes fluttering closed and, with some more effort, opening.

"See? It feels absolutely incredible. You haven't felt this relaxed in your entire life, and you can only imagine what it'll feel like when the relaxing feeling covers your entire body." Shou seemed to tremble at the idea and I smiled. Her reactions really were cute. "Now, the relaxing feeling spreads again, covering all the way up to your thighs."

Even though she seemed suggestible enough at this point, I didn't want to half-ass anything. I wanted it to be a complete induction. Going into it, I knew I was going to put more effort into her induction than that of the others, since she was relatively powerful. I considered it practice for when I would hypnotize others like her, although those times would probably have evil intentions attached to them.

"And now, the feeling is covering your entire upper body, leaving only your neck and head." I continued, Shou's eyes opening up so narrowly, that I couldn't see the shine of them. They were almost at the point where they would completely close. "Feel it spread up to your neck, relaxing it, and feel yourself begin to sink into this feeling, like it's something you would fall into."

One more push, and…

"And finally, feel that wonderful, deeply relaxing feeling, cover your head, and fall into a relaxing feeling of my hypnotic trance."

Both Shou's, and my mind, changed.

* * *

"...There is one thing I need you to do while you're still here, Kyouko." I separated from her and lifted her chin up to face me.

"A-anything master!" Kyouko was still wagging her tail away happily as I told her what to do.

"Right now, at this moment, I was only going to hypnotize her simply to make her relax, and nothing else. No ulterior motives or anything. But, I can't do that anymore. Shou has the ability to perceive people's true intentions, however, through simply observing them. That's why I need to go to her with that intention so she'll be comfortable enough to allow me to do so, but I need to change my intention after I have her under in trance. For that to happen Kyouko, I need you to hypnotize me, then watch over me to make sure nothing goes wrong, like time getting close to running out."

It was the only way forward. Shou was my make or break plan to conquer the temple, and with time increasingly short, I needed to do it on the first try. But there was no way I could hide my intentions from her, so the only thing to do was to _hide them from myself_ as well.

"Hypnotize me to forget this conversation. Hypnotize me to continue wanting to help Shou relax with no ill-intent. And finally, hypnotize me to _remember_ this conversation the moment I have her completely under hypnosis."

When I finished, her eyes narrowed and her smile turned into a devious grin as she returned the favor and put my chin in hand, her voice a much lower growl than the peppy high-pitched voice I heard earlier. "Of course… _master_."

What happened after… well, I might be a bit more inclined to do whatever Kyouko has to say instead of the other way around now.

She was that damn good.

* * *

My mind's memories hit me like a truck that ran through the night without sleep and was fast approaching their destination. I blankly stared at Shou for a moment as the realization dawned on me that I was about to make one of the most powerful Youkai in Gensokyo one of my sex slaves.

My heart beat a little faster, but then I remembered our time together.

She was really kind and actually wanted to have me as company. The amount of times someone invited me to something was scarce, as long as we weren't including family, so that sentiment alone made me hesitate. But the fact that she was sharp enough to keep me honest for once… it felt nice to act without regard for appearance in front of someone.

...Well, granted, she'll still do that, just to a different extreme now.

I feel guilty, but unlike Kyouko (before I got to know her), Shou is someone I can really get into the idea of controlling. Her complete and absolute trust in me means… I can probably make her do anything, given enough time.

But I had little time to work with at the moment… How should approach this?

For starters… Let's ask our hypnotized contestant a few questions! (Applause)

"Shou, doesn't it feel amazing?"

"...Yes."

Ahh, that "completely enamored with trance" voice! She's so vulnerable… Ah, I'm turning into a creep! Calm down, calm down…

"Trying different things can lead to something wonderful, can't it?"

"...Yes."

Okay, I've got a lead! Should I push that idea further, or ask more questions…? Hm… Actually, I'm a bit curious about something.

"You had a tiger form before, right? Is there anything you miss from those days?"

There is a long silence before she answers. "Ears… and tail…"

Now that she mentions it, she doesn't have any traits that resemble a tiger aside from her eyes and hair… But I can definitely use this to my advantage. That being said, I only have one shot at this, so maybe I should focus on bringing her deeper into hypnosis?

"Thank you for being honest. Now, I want you to focus your attention on the feeling that's enveloped you. It's so relaxing, so wonderful, and it's growing stronger. This warm feeling of deep relaxation makes your mind feel all warm and fuzzy, and any leftover tension in your muscles, no matter how small and insignificant, completely fades away, giving you a feeling of complete, relaxing bliss. This feeling doesn't stop growing stronger, and might even be considered overwhelming, but it feels far too pleasant for you to complain about it, as you sink into the feeling more and more. Every second, it gets stronger and better and you just let go of everything; all of your thoughts, all of your stresses, all of your worries fade away into nothing. Absolutely nothing is required of you, so you can enjoy this feeling to it's fullest."

I couldn't see any changes in Shou's expression, but the only movement was the slight rising and lowering of her upper body as she breathed in and out. It looked like she was sleeping, which was nothing but good for me. I felt comfortable to continue on.

"Now, as you are relaxing so very deeply, allow all other noises to fade away except the sound of my voice. You don't need to consciously comprehend the words I'm saying, you just need to hear the sound and let it soothe you further. The more you hear the sound of my voice, the better you feel as it becomes next to impossible to do anything but relax and listen, but you don't care about that. You don't need to care about anything right now, so you can leave everything up to me, including your thoughts."

No obvious reaction to my words. I'd like to call it my victory, but I need to still keep an eye out for anything that could ruin this, like someone coming in and hijacking my hard work near the end (Cough, Rumia, Cough).

"My words sink deep into your empty mind, becoming your thoughts. Even though you can't comprehend the meaning of my words consciously, they will still affect your mind, becoming your own personal truth. These words relieve you from thinking for yourself, so it's a very comforting and relaxing feeling as they sink deep into your mind."

And now, I'll start planting some more… direct suggestions.

"You can begin to feel a strange feeling in two points on top of your head, in the area where your tiger ears would be is you had them. It's a weirdly pleasant massaging feeling, and as it continues, you feel some strange energy flowing into those points on your head. This feeling grows stronger and stronger, and as it continues to do so, you can feel tiger ears, exactly like the ones you had in your Youkai form starting to form. Not too far behind from that, you begin to feel that same massaging feeling in a place where your tiger tail would be in your current state. That's right, you are growing your tiger ears and tail, and you can feel them and move them around like you did when you were a tiger. The massage feeling in all areas is now growing hot, and you can tell that they are almost finished forming. In a moment, they will form completely."

I have an idea on how to get submission and obedience out of Shou from doing this.

"That moment is over now. Feel your ears and tail completely grow out, formed perfectly. You can move them around like you did when you were a tiger, and you will be able to see them on your body whenever outside of hypnosis. You remember how they were when you were a tiger, and that vivid recollection of them makes your new ears and tail feel completely real. When you awaken from trance, you will be incredibly happy and amazed at what I was able to do when you stopped thinking entirely and let me think for you. You will be glad you tried this new and wonderful experience, and will want to try it again almost immediately after waking back up. Forgetting to think altogether and letting me think for you was a wonderful experience and nothing bad came from it; you know this for a fact. Not only that, but you know that you can trust me fully and completely, and that nothing good comes from doubting me. If you let your doubts stop you, you wouldn't have felt this amazing, so, even if I act in a suspicious way, you won't doubt me because that doesn't do either of us good."

She did agree that trying new things could lead to something wonderful, so as long as I make her comfortable with the idea of letting me think for her, I can expand on that to achieve my goal of making her my sex slave. Not only that, but it would be painful if she wouldn't let me hypnotize her again because she noticed my habits, so I added a little persuasion that doubting me wasn't good for her.

I then took her through a slow process of waking her up, making sure to emphasize how wonderful and amazing it was to allow me to do all the thinking for her, even if it was just for a little while.

"...And one! Wide awake!"

Shou's eyes lazily opened, a look of grogginess in her expression as she tried to grasp her surroundings, but then her eyes began to widen as she turned to look in a space near her hips.

"...Eh? ….EH!?" Shou sat up and her hands grasped thin air, but it looked like she was feeling out something. I guessed it was her tail. Then, as though she was putting two and two together, she reached up and touched two spots on her head. Her mouth trembled, agape, and her golden eyes were still staring at the spot her "Tail" was.

"Surprised? I deci-" My words were cut short as I watched her with stun eyes.

Shou's golden eyes shimmered as clear streams of tears fell down onto her cheek, but they weren't shed because of sorrow. It was clear that she shed them because she was happy.

" _I never… Thought I'd feel these ever again… I accepted that I wouldn't, b-because that was just what needed to happen… but now...!_ " Shou couldn't finish her words as she sobbed, clutching her "ears" ontop of her head, and a sharp pang shot through my chest.

I only made her feel them because I wanted to take advantage of her happiness, but now that I see just how much they meant to her, the guilt I thought I pushed aside was surfacing once more. I couldn't have even begun to imagine just how important they really were, for her to be reacting like this, but if I had to guess… Maybe it was like an amputee, regaining the limbs they lost. Her emotional reaction to it was that strong.

And now, I'm going to…

…

….

" _Thank you…. Thank you so much, Steven…_ "

It took Shou calling my name for me to realize I was looking at the floor. I couldn't look her in the face right now, for what I was about to do…

" _I… don't know what I can do to ever repay this gift…_ "

Each and every word she said made it more difficult, but…

 _ **Do I have any other option!?**_

If I didn't proceed and decided walk out now, my chances of getting Byakuren and her followers were nearly non-existent. Not to mention those who forced me to do this fucked up game would punish those close to me in the outside world, if Rumia didn't kill me first. Knowing that-

"...!?"

"..."

Shou didn't push me away as I hugged her. I swallowed my hesitation and spoke softly.

"Sorry. I… don't know what to do when someone is crying, so I just hug them and hope it helps." Oddly enough, that was the the real reason I decided to hug Shou was so that I didn't have to look her in the eyes while talking to her.

"...But I'm not sad, it's quite opposite."

"...I know."

We stayed there for a long while and I forgot about my worries for a moment, wishing I could just hold onto her forever in that moment.

* * *

Eventually, when Shou stopped crying and we separated, she showed interest in being hypnotized again, like I had planned. I then proceeded to do a condensed version of my earlier induction, and if Shou noticed something was wrong with me, she didn't mention it.

I told her it was good to let me do all the thinking.

I told her she didn't need to think for herself at all when I was around.

I told her she wanted it, because it led to good things that made her happy like… getting her ears and tail back.

And I gave her two trigger words, one which I would use that would make her my mindless slave, who would stop thinking entirely and obey my commands at the mention of it, and one which would bring her back to an alert state, unaware of my commands.

Then, I woke her up, said my goodbyes after insisting that I didn't needed to be walked home, and left.

I had told Kyouko to watch over me before being hypnotized by her, so it only took me calling out her name for her to appear from nearby. She was about to speak in a cheerful tone, I had guessed from her mannerisms, but stopped when she saw my expression.

"Master, are you okay?"

Her tail, wagged from worry and she looked up at me, clutching her chest with her tiny hands. That sentiment was enough to shake me out of it as I smiled and rustled her hair abit.

"Yeah… I just need some rest."

Kyouko still looked unconvinced, but didn't pursue the matter further as we walked back. To keep my mind off things, I ran through what I would do tomorrow and I gave a self-deprecating smile.

"With the way things are now… I'll conquer the Myouren Temple tomorrow."

Kyouko looked up at me with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Shou was the key to everything, and I already made sure she would do whatever I wanted. I just needed her to convince Byakuren to be hypnotized by me and not fuck up doing that… no pressure.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll go over the entire plan verbally with you and Yuri, just to see if there are any problems. For now though, I need rest. Do you think you can sneak off again from the temple to meet up for that?"

"Yes, master… as long as Mystia isn't looking."

"Mystia?"

"Well, she's taking her job seriously, so she'll try and make sure I don't slack off now."

"Ah, I guess Rumia did only tell her to practice the religion faithfully…" My words trailed off as I thought about Rumia again. The attitude she gave me still bothered me, but then I recalled something I thought about earlier; how I overreacted to small things.

Wouldn't the way Rumia reacted to me simply saying one sentence, without confirming what I meant by that, count as overreacting?

"Master?" Kyouko looked at me with a worried expression, and I blinked.

"Is that seriously it, or am I overthinking things again?" I mumbled this as I ignored Kyouko and ran through my theroy in my mind again. After doing so, I sighed and looked off at the dark forest. "Sorry, I shouldn't be thinking about other things right now."

"Um… it's okay?" Kyouko looked really confused. I guess I couldn't blame her since I didn't speak aloud my thoughts, but I would deal with Rumia after conquering the temple.

I shook off all of my worries and when I arrived back home, I went straight to "bed". Try as I might, however, the anxiety of my looming plan, the possibilities of failure, and, even though it wasn't immediate, what I was going to say to Rumia began to swirl around in my head, and I uncomfortably shifted around in my futon until sleep dragged me down into a nightmare.


	11. Myouren Temple

I had a horrible sleep, but with time running short, I shook off my grogginess to the best of my ability and gathered Yuri and Kyouko at the makeshift backstage where Rumia was residing. I needed to make it clear to her that our plan was proceeding, since I wasn't sure how long she would stay patient with us, especially with how I left things with her, but-

"About time! You've kept me waiting, mortal."

She was acting her usual high and mighty self, and I could see that her smile was genuine which only strengthened the theory I came up with on adult Rumia's character yesterday. That gave me some slight relief, but only slight, since I still had to take over the Myouren temple, regardless of Rumia's threat.

"I'll go over the plan. If there's anything wrong with it, I want you to point it out. It would be a huge problem if something went wrong, so I need your honest opinions even if it might disappoint me, understand?"

""Yes, master."" Yuri and Kyouko responded in unison, and I nodded before looking over at Rumia, who still was across the room. As I expected, she looked less happy the moment we ignored her and I addressed only Yuri and Kyouko. In that case…

"Rumia, you had an interest in hypnosis, right?"

Everyone in the room was surprised that I called out to her, Rumia especially, who stuttered in response. "Y-yes! It sounded like an amusing thing for a mortal to come up with."

"Then you don't have to help with the plan, but you might learn something about it if you listen. Would you like to come closer?" Also as expected, everyone's shocked expression became more exaggerated.

"Master-" Yuri looked at me with a genuine expression of concern, but I shook my head.

"Trust me." I was almost certain I had a grasp of Rumia's character now. Rumia looked at us for a good ten seconds before she muttered something under her breath. Kyouko's ears perked up and her eyes were as wide as saucers, probably hearing what she said, but then Rumia said something in her 'usual' tone.

"Hm, hm, I suppose I can grace you with my presence!" Rumia came over almost immediately, unable to hide the skip in her step, and Yuri looked at her with a sudden realization while Kyouko was still processing what she had just learned.

It seemed as though they had an idea as to what Rumia's true character was now. That being said-

"Let's begin the plan."

I brought everyone's attention to me and went through everything I had been thinking of.

 _ **Boy and girls are plotting conquest…**_

" _First off, although Mystia isn't going to grab Byakuren's attention, we can still use her as an excuse for Shou to set the plan in motion. I've already hypnotized her to ensure she would obey any command I gave her, so all I need to do is make her bring up my method of relaxation to Byakuren. Maybe it'll go something along the lines of,_ 'I was curious about what changed Mystia's willingness to practice our faith and I learned it was because of this young man's relaxation method that was brought from the outside world-'

* * *

"...I tried it and it was very hard to describe, however I do believe it could be beneficial to the temple if we replaced our current ways of meditating with it."

Byakuren listened with a smile, much like she always did and, although her voice showed no sign of curiosity, responded, "This is very sudden."

"Indeed. However, if it can help people understand how important the six perfections are, as well as help us better attain them, I felt it was best to bring it to your attention and get your opinion on the matter as chief priest of the temple." Shou, likewise, retained a refined, almost divine presence. It was hard to tell who was really in charge when you saw the two women converse like this.

Byakuren pondered it for a moment, a very rare thing indeed, and then gave an affirmative look. "Your recommendation isn't to be taken lightly. I do wish to try out this method, however. I don't mean any offense towards you, but it is my duty as chief priest to ascertain its effectiveness first hand." She then bowed politely, humbling herself as much as possible towards Shou.

"But of course. There is nothing to apologize for." Shou showed no deceit in her face, for any lies she told were completely unbeknownst to her.

* * *

 _-It's highly unlikely Byakuren won't at least try it out, since Shou brought it up, especially when we omit the name of the method, claiming that it doesn't have one. When Byakuren asks for more information about it, Shou will inform her that the method requires a practitioner of it -me- to use properly. Then, Byakuren will look for me-"_

"Wait" Kyouko spoke up. "How do you know she'll look for you right away?"

" _Simple. I found Byakuren's 'flaw'."_

"Her… flaw?" Kyouko tilted her head in confusion and I smirked.

" _Everyone at the temple has one; it just took me a while to find out what her's was. For you Kyouko, it was your un-religious hobbies. For Shou, it was her drinking. As for Byakuren, I found out about this very interesting story on how the temple attracts more followers from someone involved; Shou told me they use her power as bait and Byakuren meets those curious about those powers to persuade them- did you not know about this?"_

Kyouko shook her head. "I… I had no idea…"

" _For someone who claims to be uninterested in forcing people to talk, she can sure be devious when it comes to gathering followers. Her weakness is the one desire she has;_ to put people and Youkai on the path of her religion _. She doesn't seem to be above dirty tactics when it comes to that. When I looked back on it, even though I felt I needed to understand it at the time, she instigated a conversation about her religion when I met her. Her presence was so overwhelming at the time that I hadn't noticed it, but she was definitely trying to convert me, or at least make me interested. Anyways, that's why I know for a fact that she will come looking for me; because if something can help her practice, it might also attract more followers as well. She won't pass up that opportunity. That being said, she might send someone else to invite me to the temple, but either way, she'll make contact with me._

* * *

"Steven, you have a visitor!"

"Coming!" I hastily went down the stairs, knowing full well who was there, but I still tried to have some resemblance of surprise on my face when I saw her in the doorway… well, I guess it might not have been faked, since the sight was still a little strange even if it was expected.

"Good morning, Steven." Byakuren smiled softly and gave a short bow.

"Uh, hello… What can I do for you?"

"I know this is very sudden, but I had a favor to ask of you. May I come in?"

"Ah, sure."

* * *

 _...Continuing that thought, the location of where I hypnotize her is important. This plan's success hinges on whether or not I can get Byakuren to do what I want her to, so every factor when it comes to hypnotizing her is important. If she sent someone as a messenger, then I'll have no choice but to go to her; in other words, the temple. This isn't the worst scenario, per se, but if I had a choice-_

* * *

"...Where they held those concerts?" Byakuren showed no sign of annoyance at the mention of the location I wished to hypnotize her at.

"It reminds me of a similar place back home. It's very comfortable to me, oddly enough… Ah, but I guess what's important is where you would feel most comfortable..." I gave an amused laugh, but I was lying through my teeth.

"I can make myself comfortable anywhere, so we'll go with your suggestion." Byakuren said.

* * *

 _...The location is quiet and isolated. I have no doubt there are places like that at the temple, but there are also followers of the religion there too. I want to remove any possibility of unwanted interference. Of course, it's not like I haven't been interrupted here before, but I can't imagine anyone aside from Rumia who would interrupt me, since I haven't angered any other powerful youkai."_

Rumia seemed a little taken aback, but also a little cheerful when I refered to her as a powerful youkai. Granted, she probably was more powerful than when she had the ribbon amulet on her head, but it seemed like she wasn't used to being referred to as such. I continued.

" _If it does end up being the temple, however, I could probably suggest that Shou makes sure we aren't disturbed. Either way, the next part of the plan is arguably the most important part; how will I go about hypnotizing Byakuren? I have faith I'll do a good job putting her into trance, but what I suggest to her and the words I use are ultimately the deciding factor. ...Well, maybe also the words she ends up saying can be a factor as well."_

"The words she ends up saying? You mean, you're going to use her words against her?" Kyouko asked, and I nodded.

" _She's very wise, so I doubt she's used to being lectured or told to do things. Not to mention she's in a leader like position. So the best way to go about this in my opinion is to manipulate her to say what I want her to say while she's in trance. Granted, I'm going to be instructing her regardless, but the moment it seems like I'm trying to get her to do things she adamantly refuses to do might be the moment I fail. She doesn't seem to be a naturally submissive type, so I need to trick her into becoming one. The best way to do that-_

* * *

The silence in the area was filled with my excitement as I held back my nerves. Byakuren ended up taking the induction in stride and I had her under, perhaps a little too easily, and I began my make or break plan; a questionnaire.

"Answer my questions and statements with a yes if you agree. Do you feel fully relaxed?"

"...Yes."

"Is your name Byakuren?"

"Yes."

"Have you removed all thoughts from your mind?"

"Yes."

"Are you completely focused on my voice?"

"Yes."

"Does this feel different from meditation?"

"Yes."

"Does it feel relaxing?"

"Yes."

"Relaxing is good, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Does it feel good?"

"...Yes."

"It feels good to relax."

"Yes."

"Relaxing feels good."

"Yes."

"This feeling is relaxing."

"Yes."

"Relaxing is good."

"Yes."

"Listening to my voice is relaxing you."

"Yes."

"Listening to my voice feels good."

"...Yes."

"Listening to my relaxing voice feels good."

"...Yes."

"Feeling good is relaxing."

"Yes."

"It feels good to be like this."

"Yes."

"To be like this is to listen, and listening to my voice feels relaxing."

"Yes."

"To be like this is to listen, and listening to my voice feels good."

"Yes."

"To feel good is to enjoy something."

"...Yes.

"To feel good is to enjoy something."

"...Yes."

"To feel good is to enjoy something."

"Yes."

"To enjoy something is to feel better."

"Yes."

"You enjoy this feeling and it feels better the more you listen to my voice."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you listen and follow along with my voice."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you listen and follow my voice."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you listen and obey my voice."

"..."

"It feels good to listen to my voice."

"...Yes."

"To feel good is to enjoy."

"..Yes."

"To enjoy is to feel better."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you listen to my voice."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you follow my voice."

"Yes."

"It feels better when you obey my voice."

"...Yes."

"It feels better when you obey my voice."

"...Yes."

"It feels better when you obey my voice."

"Yes."

"To feel better is to enjoy."

"Yes…"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

"...Yes"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

"Yes"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

"yes"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

"ye-"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

"-e-"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

-e-"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

-"

"You enjoy obeying my voice."

* * *

 _-Asking questions while she's in such a highly suggestible state where she isn't exactly thinking straight will snowball. With every statement she agrees to, it becomes easier and easier for me to brainwash her. Of course, it's a problem if she says no, so I just won't give her the option to from the very beginning. All she needs to do is agree with whatever questions she agrees with, then I'll start only making statements and she'll accept those statements as the truth the more she agrees. Not only that, but saying yes will become so easy for her that the only thing she will be able to respond with after a certain point to me is with 'yes'. She, hopefully, won't even realize what's going on. Then, I can start to get more and more bold the more she agrees with me…_

* * *

"Arousal is a way to enjoy things."

yes

"You enjoy obeying me."

yes

"You start to get aroused obeying me."

yes

"You get aroused obeying me."

yes

"Obeying is the same as being submissive."

yes

"You are submissive to me."

yes

"You get aroused being submissive to me."

yes

"To get aroused while being submissive to me is okay."

yes

"To get aroused while being submissive to me is natural."

yes

"To get aroused while being submissive to me feels amazing."

yes

"You become more aroused the more you obey."

yes

"You become more submissive the more aroused you become."

yes

"You have no will whatsoever."

yes

"You only want to obey me."

yes

"It feels good to obey me."

yes

"It feels arousing to obey me."

yes

"You obey me without a second thought."

yes

"Nothing else matters except obeying me."

yes

* * *

 _I'll keep repeating statements over and over. I won't take any chances; I need Byakuren to obey me without doubt or struggling. ...Although, maybe I can play with her just a little bit…_

* * *

"...Awake!"

Byakuren opened her eyes narrowly, her head slouched over and a pool of drool formed on her iconic dress, especially on the chest area that stuck out. She looked dazed and confused as she looked up to me, then her eyes opened wider as her cheeks blushed and she grabbed her crotch.

"Wha-wha-wha-" The dignity she once had was almost completely shattered as she fumbled to find the words. She noticed just how aroused she was, and that completely bewildered her. I guess she must have put her worldly desires off to side for so long that it was completely unthinkable for her to be wet with desire, yet there she was, squirming. "What is going on?" She looked up at me, panic and confusion running across her normally confident face.

"I thought it was obvious? You got aroused- No wait, that's wrong. You're still aroused." I said that and Byakuren looked at me with such timidness that it, erm, excited me even more than before.

"What did you do to me!?" Byakuren yelled, slightly hysterical.

"Nothing. All you did was agree with me that it would be better if you were my loyal sex slave."

"..." Byakuren's eyes became glassy for a moment and I sighed.

"It isn't fun if you revert back right away. Try to hold on for a little while longer. Also, be aware of what just happened."

"Yes, master… What….How….?" Byakuren's aloof expression turned into one of pure terror, and she reached for something, but then her panic and fear increased.

"Oh, are you looking for your magical scroll? Don't worry, even if you had it you still wouldn't be able to use it against me. Besides, I'm not going force you to do anything. You're going to simply do whatever I say because it's what you want."

"I would never do anything you told me!" Byakuren's fear was still there, but now her disgust rose and she showed some anger. Geez, it sure was weird to see her angry like this, but it's to be expected since I broke down some of her moral barriers already. She probably hasn't even realized that her anger broke her practice's teachings.

"Don't answer so negatively. You can resist, but you cannot be so negative. That's an order. Also, come here and stroke my cock in between your big breasts, will you?"

Byakuren's face didn't match up the words that came out of her mouth next. "Yes master… Wait, what am I…?" She looked on as she lowered her dress until her perky, round mounds popped out, and her face turned pale when she realized she couldn't stop herself from moving towards me.

"I'm really not in the habit of forcing people, since that's rape. But even if you look shocked like that, I already know that you're enjoying this. Oh, and don't lie to me."

"Yes master, I'm enjoying this… Ah…. ahhhhhh….." Byakuren _looked_ like she was struggling, but she approached me without much resistance and pulled down my pants and underwear, revealing my throbbing desire. Then, also without much resistance, she slid my cock in between her soft, large breasts, unable to hold back a moan.

Likewise, I moaned, although I was a bit embarrassed by it. "Ah…. Y-yes, good slave. Stroke it slow and hard…"

"Yes master… b-b-but…. Ah… I don't understand… why does this make me feel so….?" Byakuren stared, transfixed at the act she was committing and her expression softened considerably into one of lust. Her giant tits slid up and down my cock, her hands pushing them together to get more friction as it tugged my private's skin in all the right ways.

"Aroused? Sexy? Right?" I offered those suggestions, holding back my noises of delight to mess with Byakuren more.

"Yes master….. B-but I'm Byakuren…. The chief preist o-of Myouren t-temple…." Her eyes became dilated, even though those words were probably spoken to snap her out of the spell. It didn't do anything, and if it did do anything, it only increased her lust.

"And you're also my slave."

"Y-yes master… I'm also your slave." Byakuren got into a steady rhythm with my cock, and she seemed to be getting really into it despite her earlier protests. She eyed my cock, that peeked out from her breasts when she stroked downwards, and her mouth was opened wide, as though she wanted to do something.

"Would you like to do something else, aside from stroking my cock with your breasts slave?"

"I…. I think…" Byakuren trailed off, gulping her saliva. "I want….. To make master feel better…"

"By doing what, slave?"

"...Sucking your cock….master." Byakuren had lost all of her uncertainty and looked at my member with dazed eyes, clearly under my control.

"Do it."

"Yes-h mashther-" She barely held back the moment she was given my permission. Her mouth quickly began sucking on the head while she squeezed her breasts as hard as she could on the remaining length of my erect cock. The immense pressure was heavenly as she meant what she said; she really did want to make me feel better. As a result, however, she herself was starting to feel better as well. I could see her back arch, and her body shudder as she committed these depraved acts of sex. I also grabbed onto her head and forced her to take as much of my cock into her mouth as possible, with her huge breasts getting in the way, but I didn't really mind.

"Good slave, suck me off harder."

There was no response from Byakuren except for the increased sensation she applied onto my member. Even fully erect and towering, my cock could not be seen because Byakuren's breasts and mouth were covering every inch of it. I didn't think that meant I was small, just that Byakuren's boobs were that huge. I was pretty aroused from the whole situation, but I sighed from some slight disappointment.

"It took no effort for you to accept your role this time… I guess that's to be expected since this is the _third time_ I've woken you up."

Byakuren was much more resistant to me the first time, but she had already accepted my suggestions for at least an hour straight before that. I also made sure to give her a trigger word so that I could bring her back into trance whenever things got dicey, but I didn't need it since she broke slowly but surely. That time ended with her cumming involuntarily when she finally gave in to my commands fully and verbally accepted me as her master.

The second time I woke her, while making her forget the first time, she still resisted decently enough, but it was painfully obvious from the expressions she was making that she was really into it, so I took that time to find out what was preventing her from allowing herself to enjoy it, and then I broke her a second time by making her touch herself to orgasm four times before brainwashing her some more.

This third and probably final time I woke her up was the strongest and fastest she's ever reacted to me without memory of the prior times I broke her, so I decided to get her to engage in a sexual act with me. Now I knew for sure as I gave her long hair a rough stroke while she focused all her efforts in getting me off.

"You're mine now, and that's not going to change for a very long time. Stop sucking and finish me off with your breasts, slave." I'm not sure why I was able to say such words without gasping from pleasure, but I could feel my urge to dominate this sexy, powerful woman who used to have her own will intensify. It took over me somewhere along the way and made my methods more direct and effective.

Byakuren obeyed and squeezed my erect cock tight with her breasts, her stroking much more feverish than before as the sweat, saliva and pre-cum lubricated my member and made it easier for her to slide up and down, creating a wet, hot friction as the sounds of our act echoed quietly throughout the makeshift area.

It didn't take much longer for my load to blow, as you'd expect. My cock erupted and the cum landed on Byakuren's face and tits, giving a very surreal yet satisfying image. It was euphoric, yet I continued to command her with a deep tone and conviction even as I was catching my breath.

"Swallow my cum. And as you do, I want you to feel yourself get more and more aroused. This will build and build until you finish cleaning up and you'll have the most wonderful orgasm in your life for obeying me. When you do orgasm, you'll realize that there is no escape from my control, and you can't help but fall in love with the idea of being helplessly submissive towards me. Do it now slave."

"Yes master." Byakuren got to work with glassy eyes, licking the aftermath of my climax, and a swelling darkness started to consume my being.

It was desire itself.

* * *

 _...After I…_ seduce _Byakuren to my cause, things will become far easier. We merely need to make sure each and every disciple in the temple is hypnotized to avoid loose ends, which might sound difficult, but with Byakuren, who is still a mage, it would be entirely possible. Not saying that hypnotizing them the old fashioned way will be excluded entirely, but maybe Byakuren can add a 'flair' to the process that I couldn't have done myself. It's important that the temple remains unsuspicious to those looking at it from the outside, as well as those who come in, so the best way is to make them unaware that they are being controlled and have them change subtly, so that no one can realize what may be going on. ...Rumia, would you consider the temple conquered as long as Byakuren's under my control?"_

Rumia thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "No, that's not complete domination."

I sighed and was about to say my backup plan that I had prepared, when Rumia said something else.

"...That being said, showing me that Byakuren is really obeying your will… that will be enough for me." Rumia stated that seriously, her face a mixture of anticipation and determination. I was a little surprised and I wondered how this whole 'Getting me to take over the temple' thing fit in with my realization about her character. But I could worry about that when this was all over.

" _Okay… then how about you wait nearby while I hypnotize her, wherever we end up? I'll leave that place and show you that she's under my control as proof…_

* * *

"What do you want her to do?" I asked Rumia, who gulped nervously as she saw the smiling Byakuren, who looked normal after I cleaned her up and gave her a few orders to make sure she didn't reveal what I had done to her.

"U-umm…. I guess just give you kiss, since she wouldn't do anything romantic, right?" Rumia seemed to struggle to find something she wanted as proof, so I sighed.

"...I'll do you one better. Byakuren, give Rumia a deep kiss."

Before Rumia could respond, Byakuren held her tightly and inserted her tongue into Rumia's mouth.

"Mmgph!?"

Byakuren's absurd chest pressed up against Rumia's grown, but still slender, body as she pushed into the kiss, her tongue clearly moving around in there, I could see Rumia's cheeks become even redder and for a moment it looked like she was starting to stop resisting. Of course, I didn't want to make her angry… or leave her alone since who knows when she'd stop if I did that.

"Byakuren, stop kissing her now."

She did as I said and pulled herself away, a thin trail of saliva forming a bridge between the two's lips. "Yes master." Byakuren said that with a gentle smile, as though she were still her usual self, and elegantly wiped her mouth. Meanwhile, Rumia stared far away, dazed.

"Is that enough proof?" I said, and Rumia shook her head rapidly to snap herself out of it, but I decided to tease her for that. "Oh? You shook your head no? I guess she just needs to kiss you aga-"

"It's enough, it's enough! ...I believe that she's under your control now." Rumia looked at me with a narrow glare, although her red cheeks suggested that she did enjoy it. Ah, so she _did_ swing that way? Well, at least her adult form did.

* * *

… _and then, after that, I'll leave the rest to Byakuren and Shou, all the while giving them instructions to help avoid all issues that could arise. They will act as normal and come up with a plausible reason for getting each and every individual at the temple to be controlled. Back on the topic of Byakuren using her magic to proceed things, it needs to be done with care around those who can sense it… I'll make sure she does use it, but not heavily and with caution. We want to use enough magic to make them compliant, but not to the point where normal hypnosis would be worthless; the ability to hypnotize them without magic is extremely useful when there are those who can sense it. We're just using the magic to help them be more vulnerable to non-magical hypnosis, since there are those who aren't very good or very stubborn when it comes to going into trance. Although I'm hoping the fact that it's Byakuren will get rid of their stubbornness. After all, she is the chief priest. And after she brings each and every member of the temple under her control…_

* * *

"A new ceremony? Why are we breaking our disciplined schedules for something like that?" Ichirin Kumoi knew that it was something that the chief priest, Byakuren, had called for, she was still surprised that her strict mistress would break tradition no matter how important something was.

"Hmhm, it sounds like something interesting is happening, so I'll come too." Mamizou wagged her bushy tail and got up with a gleeful smile. This surprised Ichirin since the tanuki was sitting where a statue was just a moment ago.

"How long were you there!?"

"Aw, don't mind that. I was just practicing my transformations since I hadn't done it in a while. I thought I was getting rusty." Mamizou arched her back in a stretch and turned to face the person who gave them the news. "So it's something you're going to as well, Nue-chi?"

Nue Houjuu nodded. "I happened to see her personally actually and… she showed me what it was she wanted to talk about. After that, I felt I needed to help so I offered to tell everyone."

Mamizou looked at Nue curiously, tilting her head and made a questioning sound. "Hm?"

"...Is something wrong?" Nue gave a curious glance in return and Mamizou shook her head.

"...Nah, it's nothing. So shall we go?" Mamizou asked. Ichirin was a little hesitant, but the fact that Byakuren was the source of this ceremony made her stand up and leave the door with the other two. All the while they were heading to the place for it, however, Mamizou couldn't get the strange feeling she had out of her gut.

 _Nue looked… like she was ecstatic for a slight moment. Was that just my imagination…?_

* * *

The ceremony hall (which really just looked like a giant assembly hall) filled up very quickly and the murmurs among those in attendance silenced once their chief priest showed herself in the center stage.

"Thank you all for coming. I understand that this is a very sudden and strange circumstance, for me to call upon you all while you are all devoting yourselves to your diligent practices, but I there is something important regarding those very activities that I must address." Byakuren, confident, smiling, without a single flaw showing to her disciples, continued. "This will sound like sacrilege at first, but I ask you keep an open mind and allow me to explain myself before you dismiss it as such." Her tone was very serious, slow and deliberate, and her words made everyone there realize that she was about to say something that would weigh heavily.

Mamizou's strange feeling only grew stronger, but she felt like it was understandable since this was such a rare occurrence, for Byakuren to call everyone, much less during scheduled prayer time.

Without hesitation, Byakuren then said the words that she was referring to as sacrilege. "I feel as though our practice is incorrect."

 _...Huh?!_

Mamizou's sudden strange feeling came back and tripled in intensity as the murmurs in the crowd grew from Byakuren's words. It would have been a complete uproar normally.

But Byakuren wasn't a normal person, and she had already prepared everyone for what she had just said. She continued. "To clarify, I don't mean that pursuing the six perfections is incorrect, but rather, our practice may not be the best way to pursue that method." The murmurs hushed once more, even though there were clearly a few uncomfortable individuals in the crowd. "I understand that this may sound like I have, 'lost my mind', so to speak, but I would like to remind you all that our religion's practices has changed time and time again in the outside world. It may be rare, but it is not unheard of to change our way of doing things should it help us achieve the six perfections, and that is why I asked for all of your time right now." It seemed as though her continued explanation had calmed down those in the hall, since everyone knew and trusted Byakuren and what she said did make sense, as more than a few were curious about how the religion was practiced in the outside and had heard a thing or two about it.

The only one who wasn't convinced, however, was Mamizou, who started to get nervous. Maybe it was because she wasn't as devoted to the religion as others who stayed at the temple, and also because…

"...Haa…." A face she knew all too well breathed out with enraptured breath, and her cheeks were slightly red.

Her friend, Nue Houjuu, was acting strangely entranced with Byakuren's words, and _she too, wasn't as devoted as others who stayed at the temple_. It was all too strange how her friend was suddenly enamoured with the religion after just one short meeting with Byakuren and was now listening and attending a meeting with vested interest.

As Mamizou continued paying attention to her friend, trying to figure out what was going on, she realized she wasn't paying attention to Byakuren, who probably had the answer to her question.

"-so, although it is sudden, I would like everyone here to try a new method I would like to implement to our regimen. It's important that we try it out before I get too ahead of myself, as I am capable of mistakes, and I would like to hear others opinions on this matter."

It seemed like she was already preparing something. She started going on about this new method she mentioned and appeared to be ready to have everyone follow along with her. All the while, Mamizou realized that Nue seemed to be eagerly anticipating this method.

 _Well… I guess I am curious so I'll follow along for now._ She thought as Byakuren began to tell everyone to follow her instructions, which were simple breathing exercises at first.

Then, her instructions got more detailed and as she followed she began to feel fuzzy. It felt pleasant, but her earlier anxiety was still in the back of her head, so she stopped following along with Byakuren and paid attention to her friend, who, much to her surprise, had her eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping.

 _What that heck? Why would she fall asleep when she seemed so excited earlier…?_ Mamizou shook her head to get the dazed feeling out of her mind, then noticed that it wasn't just Nue, but multiple people there looked as though they were sleeping, all the while Byakuren continued on. Mamizou felt like it would be rude to be suspicious, especially of someone who allowed her to stay at the temple, but she just couldn't get rid of the feeling of unease that was growing.

She observed for a little while longer and as Byakuren continued to seemingly repeat the same things with different wording, that's when she noticed that nearly everyone in the area was sleeping. Her first instincts were that it was magic, but she couldn't sense such powers at work. As far as she could tell, they simply fell asleep from listening to Byakuren's instructions.

This continued for a little while longer and then Byakuren's wording became strange. She started telling to focus on the feeling of fuzziness that built in the back of their minds, to empty their mind of all thoughts. Mamizou thought that this sounded like guided meditation, but it was clearly different if everyone in the room was acting the same way. She saw that Ichirin had long since fallen asleep, and even the Karakasa that Nue knows from the graveyard is sleeping in the middle of the audience.

Then, Byakuren did something unthinkable and pulled out her magic scroll. Mamizou stood up to act, as a blueish purple light engulfed the entire area, her actions a moment too late as the magic was cast. She soon felt her mind blank out for a moment, as though all thought had left her, and was confused as to what she was doing, but she still managed to maintain some semblance of herself as she tried to shake Nue awake.

"Nue… get…. Up…!" Mamizou shook her head rapidly, shaking off the effects as best as she could, but Nue didn't respond, a look of unaware bliss on her face as drool rolled down from her mouth to her cheek. Mamizou was able to fight the effects of the magic because she was awake, but however Byakuren put everyone else to sleep made it seemingly impossible for them to resist it like she did.

Alarms were ringing in her head and despite how much it hurt her to do so, she chose to abandon her friend and run away for now. As she did, she noticed that there were two individuals who stood up, apparently not falling asleep from earlier. She called out to them. "The… door! Hurry!" The magic that was assailing her wasn't as bad now, probably from being cast on so many people at once, and she was able to rush towards the exit to her right, running past others in their seats, sleeping without a care.

She didn't bother checking to see if those who were standing followed. She was focused on escaping for now and warning someone about what happened here. Reimu the shrine maiden would resolve incidents no questions asked, even if it came from a youkai. Marisa would get involved if you baited her with something interesting and fun. Sakuya would get involved if it affected her mistress in any way.

Mamizou ran through those individuals and more who she could turn to for help as she reached the door, only to be assailed by a strong blow to the gut, enough to send her reeling.

"Gugh!" Her glasses fell to the floor and she clutched her gut as she fell to her knees, thankfully not landing where her glasses where. But she could tell that she wasn't going to be able to keep her consciousness for much longer. The blow was inhuman, and it was enough of a miracle that she was still conscious to begin with. With stubborn effort, she looked up to see the face of her attacker…

"..."

"...Sh...ou…."

Her sharp golden eyes looked down at Mamizou narrowly, yet her gaze appeared to be far-away, as though she were looking past her. The expression she wore contained no emotion, no semblance of her feelings towards striking Mamizou.

It was a aloof expression, without any real awareness whatsoever.

And then Mamizou saw nothing as her world turned black.

* * *

 _...It becomes_ _checkmate_ _, my win."_

 _ **Conquest of Myouren Temple Accomplished! Congratulations (Fucking pervert)!**_

* * *

"Oh… there is one more thing though." I said that while looking at Kyouko, whose ears perked up when I directly addressed her.

"What is it?"

"I need you to hypnotize me so that I won't feel guilty from doing what needs to be done to take control of Byakuren, and by extension, the Myouren Temple. Think you can do that?"

Kyouko just smiled mischievously. "But of course, _master._ "

I smiled nervously in response and gulped, all the while Yuri looked at me with suspicion and Rumia looked at me with curiosity.


End file.
